The Office of the Ombudsman has recommended that the non-profit Zambezi Waterfront and Tourism Park at Katima Mulilo properties and assets be transferred to the Zambezi Vocational Training Centre.
This is because the training centre already runs a successful hospitality entity, a stone throw away from the Zambezi Waterfront and Tourism Park, and students can renovate and repair much of the damage at a cheaper rate.
This is contained in an investigation report by the Ombudsmann, which it handed over to Zambezi Governor, Alufea Sampofu.
The investigation that was conducted at the request of the governor followed allegations of misuse of public funds during the construction of the Zambezi Waterfront and Tourism Park, stalling the project.
“The most wanted one that we would want to see functioning is our Zambezi Waterfront, which is a very nice place for tourism, to boost tourism, and our town here, Katima Mulilo, but since its inception, it has had a lot of challenges, so we are happy that the Ombudsman is here. The office will try to unlock some of the challenges.”
The investigation report was handed over to the Zambezi Governor by Ombudsman Advocate Basilius Dyakugha.
The investigation concluded that there is overwhelming evidence of misuse, recklessness, and negligent usage of public funds, but there are no proper records, which makes it difficult to institute action against the board of directors who were there at the time of the project’s inception in 2004 up to 2016.
The value of the assets as of October 2016 was N$44,950,000.
The investigation found that the board report of July 24, 2019, states that an amount of more than N$10 million was requested from the state, but it could not be traced to any of the Zambezi Waterfront and Tourism Park bank accounts.
Worrisome to the Ombudsman is the fact that by 2019, the project had received over N$198 million.
The Ombudsman observed that it was only the last board that took measures to safeguard government funds and curb further financial losses and leaks, raising an alarm concerning discrepancies between the reality on the ground and the project report.
The Ombudsman’s investigations revealed that the Zambezi Waterfront and Tourism Park project had six different bank accounts from different banks since its inception.
The investigations further revealed that ZWTP owns a house on Erf. 62 measuring 1671 sq m, while the rest of the property is not registered in the company’s name.
The project is situated on a 39-hectare piece of land on the edge of the Zambezi River, opposite the Zambezi Regional Council.
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