Matheus Hamutenya
Keetmanshoop-//Kharas governor Lucia Basson has warned workers of the //Kharas regional council to refrain from stealing from the government.
Speaking at the regional council’s annual address yesterday, Basson said there are council employees who do not carry out their duties and functions but keep on receiving their salaries on a monthly basis, while some are never at work, or only come to work in the late afternoon, while some only come three times a work.
Without mentioning names, Basson said she is aware of such employees and warned those that were getting their salaries while they sit idle and do nothing productive, to rather resign.
“Please if you do not want to work just resign. The queue for those that want to work is very long. How do you feel getting a full salary that you didn’t work for? It is a shame and you are stealing from government,” she said.
She further said the situation is exacerbated by the fact that supervisors of such employees entertain their sluggishness and do not do anything about it as per the provisions of the Public Service Code of Conduct.
She said some employees have become untouchable or special and thus nothing is done to them even if they are unproductive during work hours or even when they are absent from work without permission, but she warned the culprits that their days are numbered.
“We will make changes and you will see them, so if you are that person who is forever absent because you are special, be warned,” said Basson.
The governor reminded the employees present of the function of the regional council, which is mainly to deliver services to the inhabitants of the region, and she said this couldn’t be achieved if people are not productive.
She added that the council has a good vision, but a question that needs to be asked is whether those responsible are living up to that vision administratively.
Speaking at the same event, //Kharas Regional Council chairperson Jan Scholtz called on the council employees to deliver despite the limited resources that might be at their disposal.
He said employees should be committed to their work and be ready to achieve goals that they set for themselves, adding that this year is about accountability and service delivery.
“All our actions and decisions must be focused on accountability and service delivery, and gone are the days when we threw money at every challenge that lay ahead of us,” he said.
Councillors, directors and regional heads of various ministries and employees of the regional council attended the meeting.