Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources, Tjekero Tweya has expressed dismay over the non-completion of the Fonteintjie Fish Farming Community Project, at Keetmanshoop.
The Government invested about N$26 million towards constructing the modern aquaculture production facility.
The oversight committee was informed during their visit that the main contractor abandoned the project in 2019, due to irregular payments discovered.
Tweya however informed nbc News he is disturbed over the fact that taxpayer money was used to construct the facility, which by now should have been able to ensure food security in the country.
It is a very unfortunate, very disturbing incident and we can unfortunately not account to the nation by utilizing the public resources this way it is highly irresponsible for us. OUT
The committee also learned that vandalism and theft occur regularly at the facility.
"The disputes just need to be resolved to allow first the ||Kharas people and Keetmanshoop residents to benefit from what the government intended, here we can see the results so they are now seeing this benefit only through the fence, and during the night the other people come to help themselves through the fruits but the residents are asking but this infrastructure is supposed to serve us it is just left halfway like this our leaders are seeing it we see people being paid for not doing anything and nobody is accountable to nobody.
Another reason for the project not being completed is the fact that the land belongs to the Ehafo Trust, an organization for people living with disabilities.
Sinvula Muchila is the senior community liaison Officer in the Office of the President, responsible for disability affairs in the ||Kharas Region.
"The deeds show that the land portion 66 belongs to Ehafo which is for people with disabilities so now they want the Ministry of Fisheries to be willing to work with people with disabilities for whatever is going to take place here they don't have a problem so we just want that at least people with disabilities should have a share or should benefit from their land so that is what they are asking for."
The committee is also expected to hold public consultations at Luderitz on the motion of the devastating effect that the growing seal population has on the sustainable harvest of fish stocks.