Wambo sets record straight

REHOBOTH East councillor Edward Wambo has termed allegations levelled against him by Hardap residents in a petition which calls for his removal over poor service delivery as “politically motivated”.

Hardap residents recently staged two separate protest marches against Wambo, during which they handed over petitions to the Hardap Regional Council, and urban and rural development minister Sophia Shaningwa.

In his response dated 15 July, Wambo blamed the protest marches against him on political infighting within the Hardap Swapo party over positions.

According to him, the protest marches were orchestrated by some angry party members whom he labelled “characters” in a tit-for-tat move for losing out in party elections.

“The petition was just about the election results not meeting their expectations,” the regional councillor charged.

Wambo listed Hardap special adviser Alfred Dax, former land reform deputy minister Theo Diergaardt, former Swapo Rehoboth local authority councillor Inoncesius Ihalwa, former Rehoboth mayor Antonius Bartlomeus Pieters, former Hardap Regional council CRO Yvonne Boois, former member of the Rehoboth Town Council’s tender board, Johannes Khaxab, and former Rehoboth West Swapo district coordinator as discontented party members who are behind the protest campaign to discredit “systems that are under his custody”.

These party members, said Wambo, had during their tenure as regional leaders played a “pivotal role” in many of the maladministration accusations, corruption, and incompetence levelled against him in the petition.

“The key characters have sufficient reason to be jealous, hateful, offended or discontented,” the politician stated.

Wambo, however, admitted that projects including the N$15 million toilet project, and housing social projects earmarked for the Rehoboth East constituency, had failed due to the mismanagement of funds.

The politician sang a different tune, saying the money meant for the projects in question was “siphoned off” to bail out the financially struggling Rehoboth Town Council on the instructions of Ihalwa.

He furthermore revealed that government had refused to release N$21 million which was meant for the project, which was to be implemented in phases because of the misappropriation of funds.

On the issue of the failed sewerage project which was earmarked for extensions 6,7, and 8, Wambo said it was halted because locals led by Khaxab illegally seized land in the areas.

He also denied accusations of failing to properly implement the drought relief programme.

“The allegation relating to this matter is false and particularly contrived,” Wambo countered.

Reacting to claims of his alleged chronic absence from office, Wambo said the allegation is false, and “particularly fixed”.

“Why am I still a regional councillor in a constituency that demonstrated against my so-called absenteeism?” he asked.

He further denied claims of having been instrumental in the suspensions of top Kalkrand and Rehoboth administrators early this year.

“I must admit that I fully agree with the substantive reasons for which the Rehoboth CEO should have been suspended, but wanted a different approach,” Wambo noted, adding that facts regarding investigations which led to the suspension of Kalkrand CEO Seth Boois were fully known to the rural and urban ministry.

“I would like to advise these comedians not to try and derail legitimate disciplinary processes to suit their dull agenda by creating chaos,” Wambo stressed.

On the issue of him misusing state property and vehicles, Wambo countered by saying these claims were “so irrelevant and indefinite that they do not warrant a reply”.