Esme Konstantinus
Windhoek-The Minister of Urban and Rural Development Sofia Shaningwa has called on members of the public to stop blaming President Hage Geingob and Cabinet members for the current economic crisis the country is facing.
Shaningwa, who made the call during her annual staff address yesterday, said: “It is not the president but a trend that is around the world. This message should be clear. Some people are making fuss and confusing the communities.”
There is therefore a need for the public to understand where the finances of the country come from and what the money is used for, such as taking care of orphans and vulnerable children, pensioners who get a monthly allowance from the government, and on drought relief and education, amongst others, she noted.
“The government is taking care of this country,” she stressed, adding that money should be generated through revenue collection from various sectors of the economy by the minister of finance, to enable its distribution across the whole country. She further called on heads of directorates in her ministry to constantly monitor and ensure timely execution of planned and budget activities through the use of the limited resources allocated towards core functions and activities.
She further urged staff members to devote their time to being in the office and completing tasks assigned to them during normal working hours and to cut down drastically on travelling.
The directives on overtime and the holding of ministerial meetings and workshops outside the duty station must also duly be complied with, while staff should also make use of equally effective and cost-saving information technologies and equipment, such as video-conferencing and the internet, to communicate and get work done wherever they are, instead of travelling and face-to-face meetings.
Shaningwa said the permanent secretary and all managers must ensure strict supervision over the work of their units and limit unnecessary expenditure, which should include ensuring that managers themselves and other staff members report to and remain at work when they are supposed to.
“The attitude of people sneaking out of offices to attend to private matters during working hours should not be tolerated,” she warned.
During his opening address of the fifth session of the sixth parliament, President Geingob said the task of achieving maximum results with minimum resources may be daunting, but this will not hinder the country’s leaders to deliver on a promise of a better future, no matter what challenge the country faces.