Sankwasa maintains budget freeze for unaudited councils

Renthia Kaimbi

Minister of urban and rural development James Sankwasa has issued a warning to local authorities failing to comply with auditing regulations, stating that those with outstanding financial reports will not have their budgets approved.

In an interview with the Windhoek Observer, Sankwasa revealed that some councils have not had their books audited since 2015 and have pending financial reports, a situation he described as unacceptable and a direct contravention of the law.

“Government money needs to be audited and even the Regional Councils and Local Authorities Acts talk about annual auditing, every year,” Sankwasa stated, questioning how the government can ensure public funds are spent appropriately without these financial checks.