Tses residents want better council services

FED up with poor service delivery and socio-economic development stagnation, Tses residents on Friday staged a protest march to show their displeasure with the council’s village secretary, Ivan Vries.

They called for the removal of Vries, claiming that he has occupied the position of village secretary for years but failed to speed up much-needed development at the tiny village 80 kilometres north of Keetmanshoop. The protestors also accused Vries of turning a blind eye to the alleged misuse of council property and money, calling on the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate alleged financial irregularities at the council. Accusing the council of ripping off the villagers, the protestors claimed municipal bills remain high although residents are paying their monthly accounts. An invoice seen by the The Namibian showed that Frieda Pofadder has run up up a debt of N$44 000. The protestors also expressed dismay at the skyrocketing land prices at the village. When contacted, Vries denied the claims that development at the village has stagnated. ‘If they do not see the development at the village, then I do not know what development is,’ said Vries. Vries rejected claims of widespread financial irregularities, but admitted that two officials were issued with written warnings for misuse of council property. Describing Pofadder’s N$44 000 municipal bill as ‘abnormal,’ Vries blamed human or technical error. He called on residents with such abnormal accounts to approach the council office to have them rectified. Vries stressed that the council is trying its best to render effective services to residents.