Hertta-Maria Amutenja
Head of the Oshana Regional Council’s Finance and Administration Directorate, Jonas Kapenda claimed that some of the government’s vehicles in the region are not fit for use on the roads and that their age is comparable to that of the councils.
He explained that cars in the government garage are meant to support the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development but some are not functioning properly.
“When we request for a vehicle from the government garage, we are told that the car license has not been renewed so one just leaves it. Because if the police find you, they will confiscate the car for sure and also bring problems to the driver. The government garage is supposed to help the ministry but there is a shortage,” he said.
Kapenda made this statement to the National Council Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure, and Housing at a meeting this week regarding the effects of the government-imposed moratorium that forbids the purchase of automobiles for ministries and government agencies and offices.
The committee looked into several issues related to the government transportation system, such as the general safety, dependability, and accessibility of government vehicles.
Kapenda claimed that the region’s 37-car fleet is woefully insufficient for council operations. Because of the 37 vehicles, 10 are in good condition, 11 are in mild condition, and the remaining ones are in bad, if not very bad condition.
“The region managed to acquire at least four vehicles during that time, and they are still new for an amount of approximately N$ 2 million,” despite the moratorium.
Last month various governors and chairpersons of regional councils have called for the government’s moratorium on the procurement of new vehicles to be lifted.
A five-year moratorium was imposed by President Hage Geingob in 2020, prohibiting the purchase of new vehicles for ministers and other public employees as part of the government’s austerity measures.
The government ceased purchasing vehicles as early as 2015 when former minister of finance Calle Schlettwein ordered a halt in government vehicle purchases.
Speaking to the committee yesterday, Omaheke regional governor Pijoo Nganate, said his region has felt the negative impact of the moratorium.
Furthermore, he claimed that because 30 percent of the council’s vehicles were in poor condition, the moratorium had a detrimental impact on how the council operated.
“Like any other region, we are currently occupied with beneficiary registration, which necessitates action from points one and two,” he stated.
One of the other two, a water tanker, he said is extremely helpful to this area since it is used to supply
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