ACC clears Hardap politician

THE Anti-Corruption Commission has cleared Mariental rural constituency councillor Jan Jarson of allegations that he illegally occupied a government house at Aranos for free while receiving a monthly housing allowance of N$7 400.

ACC chief investigator Nelius Becker yesterday confirmed that the alleged corruption case opened in 2015 against Jarson was closed in August 2017 after it was found that the allegations against him were “unsubstantiated”.

The house in question was allocated to Hardap governor Esme Isaack early in 2014 to accommodate orphans and vulnerable children.

Becker said the investigation found that Jarson had indeed applied to the works ministry to occupy the government house.

However, the ACC chief investigator said the probe found Jarson had only started paying rent of about N$1 600 on 30 September 2016, despite moving into the house on 20 December 2014.

“The rent was adjusted to N$2 000 after it was found not to be market-related,” Becker said.

Jarson had also been ordered to pay N$44 000 in rent arrears to the Hardap Regional Council for the period he had lived for free in the house.

in 2015 carried a story that the regional councillor had been living in the government house for free while receiving a housing allowance.

The paper also reported that he was among 10 Aranos residents grazing their livestock for free on 8 000 hectares of town land.

They allegedly had an agreement with one Willem Pietersen, who was leasing the land and who died in February 2015, to use the land that had been divided into eight camps.

Jarson had been renting 4 000 hectares as grazing for close to 3 000 small and large livestock, sources told The Namibian at the time.

Former acting Aranos Town Council chief executive officer Susanna Visser at the time acknowledged that the contract Jarson and others had with Pietersen made it difficult to force payments out of them.

She added that the politician diligently paid his grazing fee of N$1 000 per month for about 250 small livestock.

Bekker said he was not aware of an investigation into the Aranos town land saga.

Aranos Town Council chairperson Elden Kuhanga yesterday confirmed that Jarson and others were still grazing their livestock on town land for a meagre N$1 000 a month.

“They are reluctant to pay more than the N$1 000 stipulated in the lease agreement which they initially entered with the now– deceased townlands lessee,” he added.

Kuhanga said the council was working on a draft lease agreement, which would force those utilising the land for grazing to pay market-related rent.

“Those benefiting from paying next to nothing for grazing their animals on townlands want to fight when council talks of implementing new tariffs,” he stated.