OSHAKATI -The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Human Resources, Social and Community Development is dissatisfied with the administration of state assets in Oshana Region.
The Committee in a meeting held in the region with officials from various ministries ascertained that the majority of government properties are highly dilapidated and there is no housing committee to administer fixed government assets.
“At the moment government properties are administered by me and my colleague,” said the control works inspector in the Ministry of Works and Transport in Oshana Region, Simone Totwe. His colleague is the administrative officer, Cecilia Padjomunhu.
Apart from the seriously dilapidated houses that need urgent renovation in Oshana, the Committee also discovered there are numerous ‘discrepancies’ that need to be ironed out, as there are government properties with dual ownership.
Moreover, some tenants in Ondangwa have converted government houses into bars and other businesses. Some tenants are also not paying the monthly rent due by them.
The Ministry of Education’s Oshana regional director Dute Shinyemba, who attended the meeting, explained that tenants from the ministry who have not been paying their rent have made arrangements to settle what is due to government.
It also came to light that some occupants of government houses are non-government employees.
The Committee chairperson Usutuaije Maamberua was visibly shocked when he was told some government assets are not registered with the Ministry of Works and Transport.
He implored the investigation of ownership of some houses as reflected in the Auditor General’s (AG) report of 2009-2011.
Totwe informed the Committee that getting to the core owners of some properties assumed to be government assets is difficult if not impossible because some properties reflected in the AG’s report were purchased during pre-independence.
The Committee is expected to table its findings in the National Assembly within two months after completing their site visits.
The Committee is expected to come up with tangible recommendations aimed at improving the remorseful state of government property and usage.
By Nuusita Ashipala and Loide Jason