Cough up for State House, City urges Govt

THE City of Windhoek is likely to stick to a price tag of N$24 million for the more than 40 hectares of land the new State House complex is being built on.

At its last council meeting on Thursday night before being dissolved ahead of Friday’s Local Authority elections, an in camera session was held to discuss the sensitive issue of compensation for the plot in Auasblick. A reliable municipal source told The Namibian that the City had agreed to put forward a formal request for N$24 million to Government for the prime hillside property, backdated to the date when the property was first occupied two years ago.The Chairman of the Management Committee, Dr Bjorn von Finckenstein, promised at the meeting that Windhoek residents would soon be informed of the City’s decisions and recommendations on the matter.The DTA’s Ilme Schneider had requested that the agenda item be discussed before the public gallery, saying that the council would not be deliberating on a private deal since it involved public money.The council is permitted to hold talks on any matter related to the sale of property in private.Schneider said the costs of the State House complex had already been widely publicised and did not think the matter needed to be discussed further behind closed doors.But Von Finckenstein believed otherwise.He said that the discussions would centre on figures for the pricing of the land and that matters related to security were up for deliberation.He said open discussions would “jeopardise” pending negotiations with Government.Schneider then agreed that the matter could proceed behind closed doors – provided that the outcome be publicised.It has emerged that the City will not play a major role in determining the security buffer zone around the controversial property, having relinquished all powers over the plots in the immediate vicinity upon their sale.Last year, Government notified residents close to the State House construction site that they would have to sell their property to the State for security reasons.A reliable municipal source told The Namibian that the City had agreed to put forward a formal request for N$24 million to Government for the prime hillside property, backdated to the date when the property was first occupied two years ago.The Chairman of the Management Committee, Dr Bjorn von Finckenstein, promised at the meeting that Windhoek residents would soon be informed of the City’s decisions and recommendations on the matter.The DTA’s Ilme Schneider had requested that the agenda item be discussed before the public gallery, saying that the council would not be deliberating on a private deal since it involved public money.The council is permitted to hold talks on any matter related to the sale of property in private.Schneider said the costs of the State House complex had already been widely publicised and did not think the matter needed to be discussed further behind closed doors.But Von Finckenstein believed otherwise.He said that the discussions would centre on figures for the pricing of the land and that matters related to security were up for deliberation.He said open discussions would “jeopardise” pending negotiations with Government.Schneider then agreed that the matter could proceed behind closed doors – provided that the outcome be publicised.It has emerged that the City will not play a major role in determining the security buffer zone around the controversial property, having relinquished all powers over the plots in the immediate vicinity upon their sale.Last year, Government notified residents close to the State House construction site that they would have to sell their property to the State for security reasons.