Sankwasa slams councillors who cling to S&T without travelling

Urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa has lambasted regional councillors who continue to pocket subsistence and travel (S&T) allowances without actually travelling, calling the practice fraudulent and irregular.

Speaking at a meeting at Opuwo attended by only one councillor, management committee chairperson Western Muharukua, Sankwasa did not mince his words as he questioned the legality and morality of such payments.

“You only qualify for S&T. That’s what it’s called. When you have travelled, you have to subsist. Now, if you have not travelled, how do you qualify for travelling allowance? That’s the question,” he said.

Sankwasa also warned that paying officials for services they did not render amounts to fraud, and those authorising the payments, not necessarily the recipients, must be held accountable.

“If you have not travelled, but you have been paid travelling allowance, that in itself is fraud. Because you have been paid for services you have not rendered. But I would not bring in the employee himself, because he’s not paying himself. Those that are paying should be the ones that must account. Why are you paying?” he said.

The minister further cautioned that public officials must ensure all decisions meet legal standards and called for adherence to quasi-judicial principles.

“Whatever we do in our offices should be able to meet the parameters, what they call quasi-judicial decisions. The decisions we take in office must be made within the provisions of the law. Anything outside the law is out of us and irregular,” he said.

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