UPM opposes Rehoboth Council’s land sale

THE United People’s Movement (UPM) is urging Local Government Minister Jerry Ekandjo to block the Rehoboth Town Council’s move to sell off land.

The council recently placed an advertisement inviting interested people to bid for three hectares of land located in an area known as Westridge.
In a letter dated September 29, of which a copy has been leaked to The Namibian, the UPM appeals to Ekandjo to urgently intervene in the council’s dealings to avoid what they term ‘corruption’ in the Rehoboth Town Council.
The UPM alleges the land sale is a last-minute move by an allegedly incompetent council to enrich themselves through this ‘massive illegal transaction’ before the end of their office terms in November.
‘The UPM is not convinced that the current council has the selling of the mentioned land at heart to benefit the people of Rehoboth. It is known to all of us that the said council is overwhelmed by corrupt practices and does not have the trust and support of the ratepayers to administer their interest,’ the letter states.
The party also claims that the advertisement is just a smokescreen and that the council has been already in talks with a prospective buyer.
The UPM also took a swipe at the Local Government Ministry and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), stating they were unable to deal with the alleged ‘corrupt and incompetent’ officials at Rehoboth..
The party claimed several investigations into alleged corrupt practices within the council had been concluded but the findings had not been made public.
They demanded that Minister Ekandjo reveal the findings of these investigations by October 15.
The mayor of Rehoboth, David Richter, rejected the UPM’s claims as ‘baseless,’ saying the deal was purely aimed at accelerating socio-economic growth at the town.
Richter claimed that the UPM with its cohorts in the Swapo Party regional leadership are opposing the land deal to block the council’s development efforts in order to create the impression that it had failed the community.
He said the council was considering legal action against derogatory remarks contained in the letter.
‘We have already provided the council’s lawyer with the letter to guide us on whether to pursue legal action for character defamation,’ said Richter.
luqman@namibian.com.na