By Mbatjiua Ngavirue WINDHOEK The recurring problem of mismanagement at the Government Garage once again came under the spotlight on Monday with the need for the garage’s continued existence called into question. Speaking during a hearing by the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, Chairperson Johan de Waal said the committee had been wrestling with problems at the Government Garage for the past seven years. “It is simply unacceptable. One hears so many stories about the Government Garage it makes you wonder what the whole purpose of the Government Garage is. Performance audits must be done,” he suggested. Permanent Secretary at Works, Transport and Communication, Shihaleni Ndjaba, could not deny the situation, describing the Government Garage as the “ugliest spot in the ministry”. Ndjaba said the ministry is fully aware of the problem, and is putting a lot of effort into redressing the situation. Theoretically, the Government Garage is supposed to maintain the government’s fleet of vehicles. But there is a lack of capacity and vehicles end up being sent out for outside repairs,” he said. The government had furthermore not replaced its fleet of vehicles since independence, with the exception of the Toyota Camry’s bought a few years ago. Government cars had exceeded their life span, meaning maintenance costs had climbed steadily over the years to the point where they had become exorbitant. The high maintenance and repair costs contributed to a situation where expenditure had become much higher than revenue. The good news, Ndjaba said, is that government has now allocated N$30 million for the purchase of new vehicles. He also acknowledged that the ministry was not satisfied with the quality of management at the Government Garage, particularly the filing system, described as being a complete shambles. The ministry is in the process of reorganising administration at the Government Garage, based on advice received from the Auditor-General’s office. Ndjaba said he has now sent one of his deputy directors to the Government Garage to help sort out the mess. “There can be no talk of commercialisation of the Government Garage with the current financial situation it is in,” he categorically stated. Swapo Chief Whip Ben Amathila, participating as an ex-officio member, asked Ndjaba whether the ministry had tried to gain an understanding of how other countries in the region managed their vehicle fleets Ndjaba mentioned that Lesotho, one of the countries that outsourced fleet management, was now considering reviving its Government Garage because outsourcing was simply too expensive. The ministry announced that its “operation clean-up”, aimed at disposing obsolete equipment and wrecks of damaged government cars scattered around the country, was a major success. The ministry has held 16 auctions raising a total of N$22.5 million, with at least five more auctions still planned. “The money we have received so far, by far exceeded our expectations,” Ndjaba said. Swapo committee member Jeremiah Nambinga accepted the idea that the purpose of the Government Garage was to provide a centralised place for servicing government vehicles. Given this, he questioned why the ministry still has a government grader standing abandoned on the Okongo road for the past five years, while another is still standing on the road between Okongo and Rundu. “If you are speaking of an ‘operation clean-up’, what are you actually cleaning up,” he pointedly asked Ndjaba. Speaking on behalf of the committee, De Waal told the ministry to get the filing system at the Government Garage in order. He went as far as threatening to carry out an inspection with the media present to find out whether it had sorted out the filing system.