Loide Jason Outapi-The Outapi abattoir is finally nearing completion after a five-year hiatus in building work during which the contractors were owed money. The long period it has taken to have the abattoir completed had agriculture minister John Mutorwa peeved. “We have to do something; we cannot abandon the government facility because of the 30 percent work which is outstanding. The contractor needs to be paid so that the public facility can be put to good use,” Mutorwa said during a visit to Outapi this week. The contractors are owed about N$2.5 million, which the ministry has to pay for the construction work to be completed. What remain to be completed are the water channels, which the contractors left incomplete when they abandoned the site due to non-payment of invoices. The main contractor has already handed over the site to the ministry’s veterinary department in the region, even though the company was not paid in full. Mutorwa advised veterinary officials to make sure they advertise public tenders for the services of an operator as soon as the facility is officially handed over. The abattoir is expected to source livestock from communal farmers who are complaining of the absence of a market to sell their livestock. According to Mutorwa, Outapi abattoir is one of the biggest and best equipped with modern machines. The abattoir adds capacity to the Katima Mulilo and Oshakati abattoirs. The minister said the abattoir would help farmers to get access to the market for them to make money out of their livestock.
2017-10-20 09:31:30 11 months ago
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