Credit card scandal

Floris Steenkamp

Walvis Bay town Councillor Samson Nghilumbwa faces imminent suspension

The net is closing around Walvis Bay’s embattled town Councillor and chairperson of the council’s management committee, Clr Samson Nghilumbwa. Nghilumbwa is accused of having misused a municipal credit card, wasting taxpayers’ money to the tune of N$83 000.

Although the Anti-Corruption Commission is still investigating the allegations leveled against Clr Nghilumbwa, Council nonetheless started with a process as determined legally by the Local Authorities Act, to have him suspended.

Council is scheduled to meet at 17:00 on Monday to make final recommendations as to Clr Nghilumbwa’s immediate future. (See herewith a press statement the municipality issued on Wednesday in the wake of this scandal that hit the local authority of Walvis Bay).

Meanwhile, the Swapo Party (which dominates the Walvis Bay Town Council by an 80 % majority) on Tuesday called for Clr Nghilumwa’s immediate suspension from all council meetings and council activities for a transparent and fair investigation into the alleged misuse of the credit card.

The call for the suspension of Clr Nghilumbwa was made by the Swapo Party’s Okahenge branch in Walvis Bay (Urban Constituency), Reinhold Shipwikineni.

It was understood Clr Nghilumbwa misused Council’s credit card entrusted to him by making irregular cash withdrawals at gambling houses and purchasing alcohol.

It was further understood Clr Nghilumbwa already paid back part of the misused funds, not only creating a scenario of admission of guilt, but fingers are also pointed to municipal employees who either failed to detect or failed to report the mis-spending which took place over a period of four months. The fact that Clr Nghilumbwa was merely requested to pay back the money also implicates the municipal Council and the municipality’s administration of failing to report fraud or corruption incidents to the relevant authorities, a former town Councillor explained this week.