Landless People’s Movement (LPM) leader Bernadus Swartbooi says the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development has no jurisdiction over councils.
His remarks come after rural development minister James Sankwasa instructed the City of Windhoek council not to use its allocated budget to attend sporting games in Lesotho.
Sankwasa had advised the council to use alternative funding.
“The ministry is not a jurisdiction body, only by creation it eventually becomes a jurisdiction body but councils are jurisdiction bodies. Local authorities are first and foremost constitutional bodies; the ministry is not,” Swartbooi says.
He accuses Sankwasa of undermining local authorities, adding that the minster’s mandate is to oversee and ensure development in urban and rural areas.
Swartbooi says Sankwasa’s “iron fist leadership” is destroying councils, with
some now discouraged from engaging with him.
The LPM leader adds that Sankwasa should stop acting like an elected minister, which he is not, and should allow the rightfully elected councils to do their jobs.
He says Sankwasa should only play his role as the coordinator and not force what he terms the “Swapo manifesto” on councils.
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