Renthia Kaimbi
Keetmanshoop councillors have allegedly obstructed internal auditors appointed by the ministry of urban and rural development to conduct a financial audit of the municipality, with the minister accusing them of having something to hide.
The auditors, who arrived in Keetmanshoop on Monday, were allegedly denied access to municipal premises and financial records before eventually meeting councillors and administrators to discuss their presence.
During the meeting, councillors reportedly described the auditors’ arrival as unprocedural and disrespectful, arguing that the municipality had not received prior notice of the exercise.
The confrontation comes amid growing scrutiny of the municipality’s finances after urban and rural development Minister James Sankwasa last week confirmed that the council was broke and unable to pay October salaries.
The Windhoek Observer has since established that municipal employees received their salaries for October, although the source of the funds could not be determined.
The municipality reportedly used Build Together Project funds and money owed to it by the Keetmanshoop Electricity Business Unit to pay September salaries for more than 250 employees after its main cheque account lacked sufficient funds.
The council also faces mounting pressure over its reported debt of nearly N$100 million to NamWater, while residents owe the municipality more than N$84 million.
The financial difficulties have raised questions about revenue collection, expenditure and the management of public funds.
Although the ministry has not explicitly linked the audit to the salary crisis, the financial challenges are said to have provided reason for the decision to send internal auditors to examine the municipality’s affairs.
Keetmanshoop councillor Kallie Goliath told the Windhoek Observer on Monday that the ministry’s letter arrived at the same time as the auditors, leaving the council feeling ambushed.
“We pointed out the mistakes in the internal memorandum and the procedures to conduct an audit were not followed. We are busy people running an institution but were just ambushed while we were even busy with site visits. We had to put all those things on hold,” Goliath said.
He maintained that municipal administrators were unaware of the auditors’ visit until they arrived.
“That’s not respectful and I don’t understand the urgency,” he said.
Goliath’s objections centre on the timing and procedure allegedly followed by the ministry, with councillors arguing that they should have been informed in advance.
However, the ministry’s executive director, Wilhelmine Shivute, dismissed the suggestion that councillors needed to be notified of the administrative exercise.
Shivute said the ministry’s communication with councillors is handled by the minister through the mayor, while she deals directly with the municipality’s chief executive officer or acting CEO on administrative matters.
“What auditors are going to do is an administrative matter which falls under the vote that I’m accounting for. I don’t need to talk to councillors because I don’t deal with politicians. The minister does,” Shivute said.
She maintained that the audit falls within her administrative responsibilities and that she was not required to communicate directly with councillors about the exercise.
Sankwasa, meanwhile, questioned why councillors would allegedly prevent auditors from examining the municipality’s finances, arguing that the exercise should be welcomed if they have nothing to conceal.
He said the audit could help establish whether the municipality’s CEO was managing public funds appropriately.
“Why should councillors stop the CEO from conducting an internal audit when it’s an administrative issue? The fact that they are stopping the audit means that they are part of the mess,” Sankwasa told the Windhoek Observer on Monday.
Sankwasa further remarked that the audit is intended to establish whether administrative and financial management practices at the municipality contributed to its current difficulties.
“CEO’s fall under the council. They should be happy that the ministry appointed an auditor so they also know whether the CEO is not mismanaging funds,” he maintained.
Questions sent to the municipality’s acting CEO Adam Isaack and public relations officer Monica Imene went unanswered at the time of publication.
A source informed the Windhoek Observer late on Tuesday that the auditors eventually got the green light to commence their investigation today (Wednesday), after Shivute instructed them to file a police statement and return to Windhoek should any further delay occur.
The Keetmanshoop municipality is among several local authorities countrywide that did not submit a financial report at the end of the financial year ended in June 2026.
“I sent the council money to formalize informal settlements last year and this year. All those monies, including revenue generated from the provision of services needs to be accounted for because it’s public funds. There is cause for an internal audit in order to identify and resolve any red flags,” Shivute maintained.
