THE Okahandja demonstration has opened a can of worms with mayor Valerie Aron blaming former chief executive officer Frans Enkali for the town’s ills.
Over 60 Okahandja residents marched to the municipality on Monday, demanding that Aron steps down amid allegations of corruption and poor service delivery.
A frustrated Aron told The Namibian this week that if the residents of the town were unhappy with her work, they should call back the former CEO, Frans Enkali, whom she challenged to “come and clean up the mess” in Okahandja, although she refused to specify what she meant by her remark. “He (Enkali) knows what I’m talking about,” she charged.
Enkali, who is now the Oshikoto regional council chief executive officer, resigned from his post last month after serving for about two years. There were allegations that he was forced to resign by council members, including Aron. Although both Enkali and Aron had denied that they did not see eye to eye, The Namibian is in possession of a document from last year which reveals that the council had brought Enkali before a disciplinary hearing over an unspecified offence, which cost the council N$300 000 in legal costs when it lost the case.
“I cannot disclose what the hearing was about. The council had its reasons for bringing him before a disciplinary hearing,” Aron replied when asked what Enkali’s transgressions were.
Enkali said Aron should answer questions being asked by the people and “leave me out of it”. “I’m not even going to stoop so low as to get involved – that is nonsense,” he said.
As for the demonstration and the petition that was received by councillor Steve Biko Boois on Monday, Aron said there was an internal agenda within the council to assassinate her character due to her tribal background.
“That petition was drafted by councillor Steve Biko Boois. He drafted that petition and he came to receive it from the demonstrators himself,” she asserted.
Boois, however, denied on Monday that he had anything to do with the demonstration and said he was just called to come and collect the petition.
Aron said she did not receive the petition for fear of being attacked by the angry demonstrators.
Among some of the accusations levelled against Aron by residents was her alleged allocation of 56 erven to property developer Dr Thomas Ihuhua at the town.
Ihuhua, who owns Tura Properties, acquired the erven in 2012 for N$500 000, prompting Okahandja residents to demonstrate on Monday, accusing mayor Aron of corruption.
On Tuesday, Ihuhua told The Namibian that he was surprised to hear about this concern after so many years. He also said the development at the plot is nearing completion.
“The municipality invited developers to attend a meeting where four plots were made available in Extension Six. Tura Properties in its own right attended. Those present were asked to apply for these plots and attach their credentials. Tura Properties did exactly that,” he said.
Ihuhua further said the four plots were almost of equal size and the prices were fixed and equal for all plots per square metre. His company, he said, obtained one plot measuring about five hectares, while the other three were allocated to other successful developers with the same conditions.
He said the amount per square metre was N$10 for all developers which amounted to N$500 000 to Tura Properties.
“However, these plots were not serviced. Developers had to clear the bush and install basic services according to the designs provided by the municipality. This exercise cost me millions,” he said, without giving the exact amount.
Aron said Ihuhua was allocated the 56 erven by the former administration and that she was not yet mayor.
“We could not revoke it just because we were a new administration. We were bound by that decision and that is the reason I signed for it,” she said.
She also said that people must understand that unserviced land, like in the case of the land sold to Ihuhua, usually sells at a low price compared to serviced land. Aron said the land issue should not be made an Okahandja issue alone because it was a national concern. “We are trying our best and it (land) is on top of our agenda,” she said.
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