Swapo’s Otjozondjupa regional leadership is threatening to withdraw their Grootfontein councillors, amidst a fallout between the town’s residents and RedForce debt management company.
This position was revealed by Swapo’s Otjozondupa coordinator Imms Namaseb to this paper yesterday.
According to him, the party’s councillors serving on the council and those who are part of the municipality’s management committee failed to take Swapo in their confidence when they entered into an agreement with the debt-collector company.
The ruling party was never consulted on the issue, Namaseb said.
“All these councillors are serving there on a Swapo ticket and therefore, they have a legal and moral obligation to consult and seek guidance from party structures when dealing with serious issues that affect the livelihoods of our people. The residents have not refused to pay what they owe to the municipality, and they have also not refused to acknowledge their debts.
“But they are simply saying the economic realities on the ground are different. RedForce is not the answer at all,” he said.
Namaseb is one of the party’s key figures in the region. RedForce co-owner and CEO Julius Nyamazana had nothing to say.
“No comment,” he stated briefly.
Last month, the Grootfontein municipality entered into an agreement with RedForce to assist with the collection of more than N$211 million owed by businesses and residents for services rendered.
They are targeting accounts that have been overdue for more than 60 days.
Grootfontein has an estimated 6 000 households that pay monthly rates and levies to the municipality, but Namaseb said most of those owing the municipality are currently jobless with no other means of income.
Failure by the Swapo councillors to provide comprehensive feedback to the regional leadership as to when, how and why such an agreement with RedForce was rubberstamped, the party will have no choice but to institute disciplinary measures, including the possibility of recalling all the councillors, he said.
The four Swapo councillors are Thalitha Garises, who is the town’s mayor, her deputy Lovisa Iyambo, while the other two are Alpheus Ngikevali and Victor Shaandjuka, who are both members of the all-important management committee.
“By next week, we will provide the residents with a clear direction on the way forward. This is not just an isolated decision that has been taken by Imms, no! The entire regional Swapo leadership is on board and equally concerned with the RedForce issue.
“We have consulted the office of the Swapo secretary general [Sophia Shaningwa, and they too support our decision to move ahead and discipline these councillors. The Otjozondjupa governor, the chairperson of the management committee of the regional council, are all on board,” the coordinator said.
Namaseb maintained that RedForce and its widely-contested modus operandi are not the solution.
Rather, he said, proper consultation with the affected residents and the municipality in coming up with win-win solutions is what will result in the municipality remaining financially stable, and the residents eventually paying off their debts.
Reached for comment yesterday, Shaandjuka expressed shock, saying Namaseb’s remarks are news to him.
He said it would be premature for him to comment on the issue.
“I really can’t comment at this point because all these things are news to me. I can’t go into it now,” he said.
Meanwhile, Grootfontein’s acting CEO Indileni Lungameni last week maintained that RedForce will continue with its debt-collection mandate.
– ohembapu@nepc.com.na
(RedForce)
Caption: Threat… Swapo’s Otjozondjupa regional coordinator Imms Namaseb.
-Photo: Nampa