‘N$100 000 smart city’ trip leaves Rundu fuming
Rundu residents and leaders have criticised a proposed N$100 300 trip for mayor Andreas Jikerwa to attend a smart city conference in Barcelona, saying the money should instead be used to address the town’s challenges.
Rundu residents and leaders have criticised a proposed N$100 300 trip for mayor Andreas Jikerwa to attend a smart city conference in Barcelona, saying the money should instead be used to address the town’s challenges.
Jikerwa has been nominated to attend the 15th Smart City Expo World Congress in Spain from 3 to 5 November.
The proposal, seen by The Namibian, says the congress is intended to expose Jikerwa to international best practices, innovative solutions and collaborations essential to building future-ready territories.
Jikerwa declined to comment last Monday, telling The Namibian that a council meeting would be held on Tuesday last week to discuss the matter.
Rundu chief executive Olavi Nathaniel on Thursday said the submission is not a final decision.
He said when a council receives an invitation, a submission is prepared for consideration and recommendation by the management committee before being forwarded to the full council for approval or rejection.
“All official travels beyond the border are subjected and based on the merits to be approved by the line minister,” he said, adding that the council will not engage the media on matters still before the authority.
The mayor’s cost includes N$54 776 for subsistence and travelling allowance, N$20 449 for economy-class air tickets, N$12 000 for transport, N$8 784 for the driver’s daily subsistence allowance, N$2 000 for the visa and a clothing grant of N$2 336.
The expenditure would be drawn from the mayoral or corporate services vote.
The proposed itinerary shows Jikerwa travelling from Rundu to Windhoek from 28 to 31 October, then flying to Barcelona on 31 October, before returning to Windhoek and eventually to Rundu on 9 November.
Urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa last week referred The Namibian to the ministry’s executive director, Wilhelmine Shivute, who says she had not yet received the proposal letter.
WASTE OF RESOURCES
Parliamentary committee on public accounts member John-Louw Mouton last week said a smart city project for Rundu is not a priority, describing it as “a waste of resources”.
“He himself should know better and what the needs of the people of his town are,” he said.
Independent Patriots for Change shadow minister of urban and rural development Armas Amukoto says there is nothing “smart” about spending approximately N$100 000 on a trip to a smart city congress.
According to him, Rundu continues to face serious challenges relating to water, sanitation, waste management, roads, informal settlements, municipal infrastructure, revenue collection, debt and financial management.
“We cannot pretend to be building smart cities when our basic municipal infrastructure and services are still far from where they should be,” he said last week.
Amukoto called on Sankwasa not to approve the expenditure unless the council demonstrates a clear, measurable and compelling benefit to the residents.
Kaisosi resident Poulus Shampapi says the council often cites lack of funds when residents ask for infrastructure development, yet funds are being proposed for overseas trips that do not benefit the community.
“We were shocked. These politicians, whom we elected to represent us, do not see us as human beings but themselves,” he says.
Tuhingireni resident at Rundu, Kandunda Gellasius, describes the trip as a waste of money. He suggests that a town planner attend the congress instead.
“There is no knowledge coming from Barcelona. The mayor doesn’t even know how to design a house. He’s just an administrator of meetings,” Gellasius says.
He adds that Rundu should first learn from towns like Oshakati before considering learning from well-established cities like Barcelona.
Rundu-based activist Frans Moyo says the idea of a “smart city” could be useful, but the town is not yet ready to “realistically” implement the advanced systems.
“Some issues like Sauyemwa sewage do not even need that much money to be solved, yet we are proposing N$100 000 for trips,” he said yesterday.
Divundu activist Aron Mundanya yesterday said he does not support the trip as some children still lack school uniforms.
“We don’t see change when they come back from their trips.
They don’t share their experiences on how to improve things at all,” he says.
Sankwasa had previously stated that he will not approve “joy rides” that do not demonstrate value to the state.
He had also ordered repayment of money spent on unapproved international trips by Windhoek councillors.
The final decision will depend on whether the council approves the proposal and whether the line ministry considers the proposed expenditure and expected outcomes sufficient to warrant ministerial approval.
