Staff members and councillors of the Kunene Regional Council who had not received their June payments will be paid tomorrow.

This follows the intervention of Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa.

Sankwasa held a closed-door meeting with councillors and staff members of the Kunene Regional Council to interrogate the delay in the payment of the salaries and allowances.

Speaking after the meeting, Sankwasa said the matter arose as the chief regional officer, George Kamseb, was not legally appointed to the position.

Hence, Sankwasa said, he could not legally serve as accounting officer for the regional council – a role which requires that he handle funds.

Sankwasa informed the fully packed hall of Opuwo residents that the existing problem of non-payment would be over as the regional council is expected to soon appoint an acting legal chief regional officer.

The new Chief Regional Officer is going to be accountable to the Auditor-General and the office of the Urban and Rural Development Minister and also manage the regional council's budget.

"So the person who was there has been, with immediate effect, relieved to leave the office, and after that argument I think everybody is at peace; from there, government money will be safe and safely accounted for by the appointed person. This matter has been going back and forth in the court, but now we have resolved this issue," states Sankwasa.