Okahandja councillors face probe

OKAHANDJA councillors who allegedly took bribes to approve land applications will be investigated, urban development minister Sophia Shaningwa said yesterday.

Four Okahandja councillors have been implicated in corrupt land dealings, allegedly involving the taking of bribes from local property developer Petrus Shambo to approve applications.

Shaningwa said although it was not officially reported yet, her ministry would investigate the corruption claims and “anyone found guilty will face the consequences”.

“I was there last week, but nobody informed me of that. We will look into it and there will be no favours this time,” she said. She also said the town council was not allowed to sell land as there was a moratorium on land sales in place.

Shaningwa also said local councillors were not allowed to approve any land applications and “any decision taken during the period of the moratorium is null and void”.

“All land applications are approved at the ministry and anyone who takes money from the public in that way will face the consequences. I will deal with them,” said Shaningwa.

Shambo yesterday confirmed to The Namibian that he had paid N$100 000 to Okahandja councillor Helminth Maruru as a so-called “commitment fee” to the town council before an application was approved. Shambo said he applied for five plots in March this year, with an estimated value of N$1,4 million, through the town council, but “was approached later by councillors asking him for money to approve the application”.

According to him, four councillors, including mayor Johannes Hindjou, councillors Helminth Maruru and Frederick Shimanda, approached him at his house asking him to reveal plans for the land he applied for “in order to motivate the application”. The fourth councillor’s name has not been revealed to The Namibian because Shambo allegedly did not know it.

“They then told me that I needed to pay a commitment fee of about N$200 000 so that my application would be approved, of which I paid N$50 000 on the day and the rest I paid it into Maruru’s account,” he said.

According to Shambo, he was to pay N$100 000 before approval of his application and another N$100 000 after approval was granted. Documents seen by The Namibian prove that Shambo made several payments into Maruru’s account on 5, 15, and 18 July this year.

Shambo also provided documents to The Namibian in which Maruru acknowledges receiving the money. The letter states that Maruru will return Shambo’s money if the deal did not go through.

“The money paid so far will be refunded immediately if the deal does not go through. Another N$100 000 will be given upon delivery,” reads the letter.

Shambo said after he learned about the ministerial moratorium, he approached the secretary of Okahandja CEO, Martha Mutilifa, to confirm whether his application was approved and if Maruru had paid the money to the council.

“Although the council made recommendations in my favour, the application was not going to be approved because the moratorium was not yet lifted and the money I gave to Maruru was not paid into the council’s account,” he said.

Okahandja mayor Johannes Hindjou yesterday confirmed visiting Shambo’s house with three other councillors, but denied receiving any money from him.

“We visited him to find out why he was locked up for two days, but we never discussed anything concerning his applications. I never received any money from him. He must make it clear who he gave his money to,” said Hindjou.

Shambo was recently arrested following an altercation with Okahandja CEO Mutilifa. Shimanda also confirmed visiting Shambo and said he knew about the land application, but denied allegations that the visit was to review Shambo’s plans and solicit a “commitment fee”.

“We visited him when we heard that he was arrested. We wanted to confirm if this was true. But the visit was not in connection with his land application at all,” he said.

Shimanda also denied that there was anything like a “commitment fee” paid to the town council. Maruru, however, hung up her phone when The Namibian reporter introduced the topic of the call.

Anti-Corruption Commission chief investigator Nelius Becker this week told The Namibian that there were allegations of corruption implicating councillors at Okahandja, but an investigation had not been launched yet.

“There are allegations that certain members of the council were involved in corruption, but the people reporting the allegations are not clear about the whole story. We will look at it from next week, but there is nothing on paper yet,” Becker said.