Mistrust ruining Karibib administration

Allegations that the mayor and chairman of the council management committee of Karibib were not legitimate residents of the town, were recently found baseless by the Ombudsman’s office, but relations between the top officials, which includes the Karibib CEO, are deteriorating.

Karibib mayor Davey van Wyk and management committee chairperson Lazarus Kanelombe were reported to the Anti-Corruption Commission, urban development ministry and the Office of the Ombudsman of allegedly not being legitimate residents of Karibib – that they were actually residents of Usakos and Swakopmund respectively.

Elected councillors who no longer live in the local authority they had been elected into, or are only temporary residents in the local authority they serve in, are illegitimate and would have to vacate their offices and make place for an elected official who is a permanent resident in that local authority.

“With regard to the allegations brought to our office in relation to the residency of [the councillors] we report that our investigations revealed that both councillors are residents and reside in Karibib town. We therefore decline to pursue this point further,” read the letter signed by Office of the Ombudsman chief Ingrid Husselmann.

'Suspicious coincidence'

In the meantime, there was an application for land at Karibib by the investigator of the ombudsman's office, Nick Idhogela, who was involved in investigating the councillors’ residency claims.

According to Goreseb, he received the findings of the ombudsman on 7 March, and at the same time there was also a letter from ‘Idhogela Investments’ requesting the council for land, as part of an expression of interest advertised by the Navachab Gold Mine.

Goreseb said he found it strange, and when he inquired at the ombudsman’s office, he learned that Idhogela had in fact resigned.

He said the findings, resignation and application were a suspicious coincidence and he was concerned that the two councillors and the investigator may have arranged a deal whereby they would offer Idhogela land if he managed to turn the ombudsman’s investigation in their favour.

Erongo 24/7 contacted Idhogela for comment, and he confirmed that he had done the investigation and that he had resigned from the ombudsman's office. He also confirmed that he had applied for land, but denied any link between these issues.

He said he had given notice of his resignation before he had heard of the investigation.

He further said that as an investigator he had nothing to do with the ombudsman's findings and recommendations.

Idhogela explained that the application for land was in response to an advertisement by Navachab Gold Mine, which was also published before the investigation.

“The insinuation that I went to investigate and then recommend a finding in favour of the two councillors for them to give me land, is misleading. It is not correct,” he said.

Kanelombe did not wish to comment.

Van Wyk said there was in any case no land available for development at the moment. He said Idhogela may not have been aware of the town's moratorium on land sales.

Furthermore, Van Wyk said he had not seen Idhogela’s application and accused Goreseb of withholding important information from the council.

He also blamed the CEO for the issues at the town council.