AR lays criminal charges against municipality for “missing millions”

Some opposition leaders caution:

“this could be a political trap for AR”

The Affirmative Repositioning Movement (AR) laid criminal charges against three employees of the Municipality of Walvis Bay, including the Chief Executive Officer Muronga Haingura, for the alleged disappearance of N$24 million from a municipal housing development scheme.

The municipality of Walvis Bay on several occasions in recent weeks denied the funds are missing and attributed the “missing money” to system errors at several commercial banks. The CEO Mr Muronga late on Wednesday said the matter must now take its legal course.
The AR, accompanied by the Regional Councillor for the Walvis Bay Urban Constituency Cllr Knowledge Ipinge, opened the case on Wednesday at the Kuisebmond police station at Walvis Bay. The AR and Ipinge demand the Police investigate the matters, as the municipality’s explanation that the money is not missing, but merely administratively unaccounted for through system errors at various commercial banks, is not acceptable.
In the charge Muronga Haingura is cited, as well as the General Manager for Community and Economic Development, Agostino Victor, and senior manager of properties at the municipality, Jack Manale.
Allegations are a total of N$24 million was siphoned from monies Government paid over to the municipality of Walvis Bay to carry out a housing development.
But there is a turn side to this coin. In the aftermath of the events on Wednesday when the charges were laid, other opposition party leaders remained skeptical over the issue of the “missing millions”. Some opposition party leaders don’t believe the funds are missing, but in fact unaccounted for due to the municipality of Walvis Bay’s ongoing mismanagement of its internal systems – including the financial system.
One opposition party leader cautioned the municipality of Walvis Bay is deliberate on the matter. Officials in the municipality aligned to the ruling Swapo Party knows the money is not missing but would rectify the matter at the eleventh hour before the elections next weekend. In doing so, it would create a platform for point scoring for Swapo and at the same time leave opposition politicians with egg on the face. Pictured below: Cllr Know-ledge Ipinge (left) and Mr. Muronga Haingura.