TSES/BERSEBA – Stricter measures should be taken against non-performing civil servants, since the existing procedures to deal with non-performance are too time consuming and an impediment to much needed development in the regions.
This is the view of Elifas Dingara, the MP who headed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs during a fact finding visit to the //Karas Region last week. Dingara made the remarks during a meeting with councillors at Berseba and Tses, who expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of implementing development projects in the region by administrators. “If people are not doing their jobs they deserve punishment. We need to develop a quicker way to dismiss those who fail to perform. We must concentrate on development and not on labour disputes. If people cannot do their work they must be dismissed on the spot and if they claim any money say N$20 000 for unfair dismissal then government should just pay them. We do not want to work with failures. There are many people on the streets with qualifications that can do the job. Those lazy ones in the offices must be fired so that those who are willing can be allowed to develop the nation,” Dingara said. He also pointed out that civil servants should understand that the national budget is a law by itself. “If people fail to implement the national budget then it is an offense, they are breaking the law of this country and for that they must be punished,” he fumed.
Sara Kooper, assistant accountant of the Berseba Village Council lamented the slow administration of funds and the fact that money that is paid directly into the account of the //Karas Regional Council should instead be kept in an interest-accruing account for up to five months. She also questioned the fact that the interest which according to her is close to N$600 000 is not paid into the account of the village council. “We are also not given the interest accrued and we feel it is wrong, because it is the Berseba Village Council’s money and should therefore benefit the people. We have very poor and vulnerable people and children who need food. We have people who are infected with HIV, but we have no soup-kitchen here for this Berseba area and people are suffering. If we get that interest than we can uplift our people,” she said. Chairperson of the //Karas Regional Council Jan Scholtz, explained that the interest accrued on the money allocated for capital projects is paid into an interest-bearing account, which is often used to bail out village councils. According to him more than N$400 000 has been used to help village councils to pay their water and electricity bills. He further urged village councillors to approach their constituency councillors for assistance on any social projects.
By Jemima Beukes