By Kuvee Kangueehi
Windhoek
The Omaheke Regional Council has detected missing funds from Aminuis Constituency office and is expected to lay criminal charges against some of the employees at the office.
The Aminuis Constituency Regional Councillor, Erwin Uanguta, confirmed to New Era that he was informed by the Government auditor, Sam Marenga, that some money is unaccounted for at the constituency office and legal steps can be taken against some officials.
Uanguta said he does not have all the details on the matter, as the issue is an administrative one. Marenga only briefed him about the issue, he said.
He added that the money that is said to be missing is money collected from the sale of electricity to the residents of Aminuis. It is not clear yet whether the money is missing or it is outstanding debts.
An official at the Aminuis constituency office confirmed that Marenga visited the office as part of the internal audit process of the ministry and was not happy with finances at the office.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Marenga claimed that there was money missing especially from the sales of electricity.
The official said Marenga could not give the exact amount of money that was unaccounted for and requested the Aminuis constituency office to draft a report that must be submitted to the regional office at Gobabis.
The officer added that the money that is said to be missing could just be outstanding debt and not a misappropriation.
Contacted for comment, Marenga said he visited all the constituency offices in the Omaheke region and detected some irregularities at the Aminuis constituency office.
He, however, declined to give details on the matter and referred all questions to the acting Chief Regional Officer of the Omaheke Regional Council, Pedereus Tjihoreko.
Tjihoreko could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Meanwhile, the community police at Aminuis were expected to meet police officers from Botswana after it was discovered that more than 10 horses were stolen from the Namibian side of the border and taken into Botswana.
A community police officer at Aminuis, Major Kazeurua, said the horses must have been stolen on Sunday or Monday at Corridor 10 and 12.
Kazeurua said the horses’ tracks indicate that some horses were chased from Corridor 12 to Corridor 10 where the fence was cut and were driven into Botswana.
Kazeurua said a local farmer who became suspicious after his horses did not come to the water point for two days alerted him. The community police officer said although the thieves tried to steal cattle, there are no signs of cattle tracks crossing the border.
He added that the theft of horses is more common because they have become a scarce commodity and people in Botswana use them for hunting.
He noted that horses are also easier to steal because they move faster than cattle and this makes it difficult for the police to track them down.
It is not yet clear whether quarantine will be imposed on the Aminuis Constituency because of the movement of livestock between the two countries.