Hertta-Maria Amutenja
Namibia’s Auditor-General, Junias Kandjeke has strongly advised the Nkurenkuru Town Council to expedite the finalisation of its Strategic Plan and the implementation of a Performance Management System.
Kandjeke said the urgency stems from the need to ensure the achievement of strategic objectives and the comprehensive documentation thereof.
The recommendation comes as part of the Auditor-General’s report on the accounts of the town council for the financial year ending on 30 June 2022.
The report notes that while the Council has a draft Strategic Plan covering the said financial period and operationalised its Performance Management System on 1 July 2022, there were critical aspects that require attention.
“The Council has started the process of signing performance agreements, however, due to the Council’s decision to review the Performance Management System and implement an electronic system, no reviews of the performance of the Council were performed at institutional, departmental and individual level,” he said.
However, this lapse resulted in the absence of an Annual Report for the financial period ending on 30 June 2022, prompting the recommendation for prompt action.
Moreover, Kandjeke highlighted a concern regarding an investment made in northern Namibia’s regional Electricity Distributor (NORED) (Pty) Ltd, amounting to N$ 17,822,408.
Kandjeke pointed out that this substantial investment could not be validated due to the Council’s failure to provide share certificates, echoing a similar finding in the 2021 audit report.
In addition, for the year under review (2022), the Council reportedly reclassified an investment in electrical infrastructure. However, supporting documents to substantiate this transaction were not provided, raising further scrutiny.
The Auditor General recommended that the Council furnish the necessary supporting documents for both the investment in NORED and the transfer from Investment to Electrical infrastructure.
