Cuba trip cost City N$150 000

A RECENT trip by three City of Windhoek officials, including Mayor Mathew Shikongo, to a solidarity meeting in Havana, Cuba, had been approved by the City’s Management Committee at a cost of approximately N$150 000.

According to a press release by the Office of the Chief Executive, Corporate Communications, the trip took place because of a ‘linking policy’ in terms of Council resolution 503/10/95, which “ensures the integration of the City with other local authorities fraternity the world over”. The trip was also necessitated by the “significant importance of the bonds of friendship between the people of Namibia and Cuba” which had also resulted in a decision to accord a “special deserving honour to Cuba’s revolutionary leader by renaming a street after him in Windhoek”.In a wordy statement, the City of Windhoek said that while “not every ratepayer would support and appreciate activities of this nature”, the Municipality nevertheless believed that maintaining international contacts would further enhance and promote the image of Windhoek.The 14th Meeting for Co-operation and Solidarity of Town Halls with Havana took place in that city from November 13 to 15, and was attended by the Windhoek Mayor, accompanied by one councillor and a technical officer.The City’s Management Committee had, on October 16, considered the invitation, taken into account the financial implication of N$150 000 and approved the trip, the statement said.Budgetary provisions were made for such activities, it added.Details of this foreign excursion, which also included the Mayor and CEO of the Walvis Bay Municipality and six regional Governors, were revealed in Gwen Lister’s ‘Political Perspective’ column on November 17.There was no official announcement prior to the trip, and neither did it have Cabinet sanction.A spokesperson for the Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development confirmed that the Ministry had given approval for a delegation to attend the Havana meeting, but had left organisational issues in the hands of the Association of Regional Councils (ARC).The Chief Administrator of ARC, Kakune Kandjavera, in turn said that invitations had gone directly to regional councils, rather than through the ARC.He added that the President of the ARC, Omaheke Governor Laura McLeod, would be better placed to comment on the size and costs of the delegation.Attempts to reach McLeod, who also travelled to Havana, were not successful at the time of going to press.The trip was also necessitated by the “significant importance of the bonds of friendship between the people of Namibia and Cuba” which had also resulted in a decision to accord a “special deserving honour to Cuba’s revolutionary leader by renaming a street after him in Windhoek”.In a wordy statement, the City of Windhoek said that while “not every ratepayer would support and appreciate activities of this nature”, the Municipality nevertheless believed that maintaining international contacts would further enhance and promote the image of Windhoek.The 14th Meeting for Co-operation and Solidarity of Town Halls with Havana took place in that city from November 13 to 15, and was attended by the Windhoek Mayor, accompanied by one councillor and a technical officer.The City’s Management Committee had, on October 16, considered the invitation, taken into account the financial implication of N$150 000 and approved the trip, the statement said.Budgetary provisions were made for such activities, it added.Details of this foreign excursion, which also included the Mayor and CEO of the Walvis Bay Municipality and six regional Governors, were revealed in Gwen Lister’s ‘Political Perspective’ column on November 17.There was no official announcement prior to the trip, and neither did it have Cabinet sanction.A spokesperson for the Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development confirmed that the Ministry had given approval for a delegation to attend the Havana meeting, but had left organisational issues in the hands of the Association of Regional Councils (ARC).The Chief Administrator of ARC, Kakune Kandjavera, in turn said that invitations had gone directly to regional councils, rather than through the ARC.He added that the President of the ARC, Omaheke Governor Laura McLeod, would be better placed to comment on the size and costs of the delegation.Attempts to reach McLeod, who also travelled to Havana, were not successful at the time of going to press.