Stefanus Nashama
MINISTER of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni has come under fire from Landless People’s Movement (LPM) Councillor and former City of Windhoek, Sade Gawanas, as well as Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) Leader, McHenry Venaani, for allocating a meagre N$ 3 000 budget to Gibeon Village Council.
Gawanas, last week publicly criticised and blamed Uutoni for allocating such a small budget to the Council, and called for him to resign.
“I, on behalf of the Landless Peoples’ Movement (LPM), think that Minister Uutoni should resign, pack his belongings and go home or wherever resettlement farm he comes from,” she said.
Gawanas labelled the Minister as rude, disrespectful, insensitive, and inconsiderate for allocating N$3 000 to the Gibeon Village Council.
“How many people are there and how is the N$3000 going to help the Gibeon community,” she questioned.
Gawanas said the N$3 000 allocation to Gibeon is an insult to the community, and will affect the Gibeon Council’s developmental projects.
According to the budget allocation document seen by Windhoek Observer, the money was allocated for the Village Council to conduct its affairs.
This publication has also come to understand that during the 2021/2022 financial year, the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development allocated an amount of N$2 million to Gibeon Village Council, of which only N$522 943 was utilised and the rest was returned to Treasury.
Similarly, in the following financial year 2022/2023, the Council received N$407 300 and only made use of N$229 231.
Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader Venaani also expressed his deepest concern over the said meager budget allocation.
In a statement, PDM Leader Venaani condemned the N$3 000-budget allocation saying, “While fiscal responsibility is essential, it is equally important to recognise the underlying challenges that hamper development in the southern village of Gibeon.”
Venaani is also of the view that the allocation of funds might be influenced by contrasting political affiliations within the village.
“The central government is administered by the Swapo party and the Gibeon Village Council by an opposition political party, namely, LPM, which raises serious concerns about democratic consolidation,” he reasoned.
He highlighted that the Swapo is trying to sabotage or hinder development based on political party affiliations, which undermine the principles of democracy and hinders progress.
“All political parties should govern in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration,” he stated.
Venaani noted that Gibeon faces substantial development obstacles which includes a lack of available land, formal ownership issues, and financial constraints.
“Land scarcity restricts the scope of development projects and without clear and formal ownership structures, the potential for investment and economic growth remains stifled,” he stressed. According to the opposition leader, the meager allocation from the central government can delay much-needed projects meant to uplift the living standards of the Gibeon community. He has since called upon Uutoni and the central government to reassess the allocation to Gibeon.
When reached for comments, Uutoni referred this publication to New Era of 7 August.
In the article Uutoni was quoted as saying the allocation to Gibeon is not influenced by the politics of the day.
“We do not allocate money based on who is ruling.
We have a lot of factors that drive the allocation of funds. Firstly, we look at the structures and needs of each local authority. We then allocate based on those needs, and the performance of the council. We do not allocate money to the councillors who are politically-affiliated, but to the communities in the country,” he said.
He added that the decision to allocate N$3 000 only was prompted by the inactions of the council, which failed to use the money they received in previous years.
Uutoni explained that during the 2021/2022 financial year, the ministry allocated an amount of N$2 million to Gibeon, of which only N$522 943 was utilised.
“This year, based on their performance, we have decided to allocate them N$3 000 because there were no projects identified for development, and we channeled the money to other councils which have urgent matters and are performing.”
He further clarified that they have received only two invoices from the Gibeon Council.
“One has an amount of N$137 800, while the second one has N$234 508. We will pay for those receipts during the [current] financial year, but that does not mean if we give them N$3 000 this year, it will be the same next year. Money will be increased based on their needs and projects identified for development,” he stated.
However, development in the southern village of Gibeon is hamstrung by a lack of available land, formal ownership and financial constraints said Shanon Bezuidenhout, the chairperson of the Gibeon village council’s management committee. She said there is no formal land for the council to develop new residential and business erven.
“This is because the existing erven are fully occupied, severely restricting the growth of meaningful properties in the town,” Bezuidenhout said.
She expressed deep concern, and called for immediate intervention to address these challenges and unlock the full potential of the village for the benefit of its residents and businesses.
Bezuidenhout admitted that the development of the town is still problematic, mostly because the majority of erven have been allocated through permission to occupy or lease agreements, leaving the council with no clear framework for land ownership.
Bezuidenhout also highlighted that the current situation has hindered any planning, surveying or infrastructural development for new erven.
Despite initially planning to develop over 400 erven, the lack of available land remains a significant obstacle.
