TSUMEB – Houses constructed in September last year for war veterans in Tsumeb are already falling apart, frustrated owners report.
Jonas Mulokoshi was the contractor for the government project for vetrans in Tsumeb, which is now dogged by allegations of poor workmanship.
Jogbert Tjiwela, 75, is one of the beneficiaries as she took part in the liberation struggle. The daughter of Tjiwela, Linda Shikongo, said her mother’s house that was completed in September last year seems to be breaking up.
New Era visited the house and observed visible cracks in the walls, loose basins, a broken plumbing system and broken doors.
“We are grateful that my mother received this house but the contractor has done a bad job. He knows he is working with old people and does what he likes. When we started calling him he would ignore our calls. During the time he was building the house he used the water here and accumulated a bill of N$5 000 but ran away. Only last week he came after he heard the people from the ministry would come and inspect the house. But then he soon left without doing anthing,” said Shikongo.
The family went for about two weeks without running water as they did not have money to pay for it.
According to Shikongo, the contractor Mulokoshi would buy food and drinks to use as bribes whenever they complained about the house.
“My mother will not be able to fix this broken house and now it will be my problem,” said a furious Shikongo.
Mulokoshi is said to have done the same sloppy work on another house that belongs to war veteran Ronny Mathatias also in the Nomtsoub area of Tsumeb, and has since vanished into thin air.
Impeccable sources say Mulokoshi is no stranger to poor workmanship.
When contacted for comment Veterans Affairs Minister Nickey Iyambo denied any knowledge of veterans’ houses in Tsumeb and said he had no idea there “was anything of that nature”.
“I didn’t even know there are veterans’ houses in Tsumeb , please call my PS,” he said.
The senior public relations officer in the Ministry of Veterans Affairs Edson Haufiku however said the ministry was not responsible for the rehabilitation of veterans’ houses.
“The ministry only oversees the construction, then hands the houses to recipient veterans free of charge and it’s not the responsibility of the ministry to cover the maintenance and rehabilitation costs of these houses. The maintenance, rehabilitation and paying of rates is the exclusive responsibility of the recipient veteran,” he said.