Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare has called for accountability and improved service delivery at the Government Stores and Government Garage in Windhoek.
Dr. Ngurare visited the two facilities following reports of irregularities, including allegations that some employees had been acting as middlemen for personal gain.
Works and Transport Minister, Veikko Nekundi accompanied the PM.
Nekundi gave an insight of the investigation.
"No, but we know the battery costs N$10. It should be recorded as N$10 because we have the cheque balance. This is not the first or the second case. We must be honest with the Prime Minister. We cannot allow this to continue. The Prime Minister is saying that we know the battery costs N$10, but that is not what we are buying. The problem is structural. For example, we may have issued a contract for the supply of batteries of different sizes. The signed contract may state that a battery costs N$800, but when the final invoice is submitted, the quoted price is double the contracted amount. I have confiscated all the records documenting where such practices have occurred. I have them—three boxes of documents. For example, a Toyota Corolla that sells for N$34,000 is recorded at a much higher price, and a tire for our vehicles is being charged at N$50,000, even though we know the actual price is around N$10,000.
Dr. Ngurare stressed the need for integrity, transparency, and efficient management of public resources, saying government institutions must serve the public interest and uphold the highest standards of accountability.
“We have read all of it, I have seen all of it, I have seen empirical evidence of wrongdoing, some of it, where ACC is investigating some of them, but it is good also to talk to them as I have done. If there are mistakes, let them be honest mistakes, but we will continue then to be very hard on anyone that is found to be doing what is not supposed to be done.”
During his visit to the Government Store, the PM observed a large stockpile of materials and equipment for schools.
"Now, every day, many of you see posts on social media showing children sitting or sleeping on the floor. It is said that there are no beds, no chairs, no mattresses, no desks, and so on. Today, we visited a store that was full of mattresses, beds, chairs, and desks. And it does not end there. The situation is the same in the regions."
He called for the swift distribution of the supplies, stressing the need to accelerate service delivery and ensure that government resources reach their intended beneficiaries without unnecessary delays.
The Premier reiterated President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah's call for efficient and effective service delivery, emphasising the need to eliminate unnecessary bottlenecks that hinder the timely delivery of government services.