By Staff Reporter
Keetmanshoop Municipal Councillors have accused the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Hon.James Sankwasa, of unlawfully interfering in local government affairs and attempting to centralise power at the expense of democratically elected councils.
In a hard-hitting press statement issued by the Landless Peoples Movement(LPM) on Monday ,July 21, 2025, Councillors ,Hon.Ivan Skrywer andHon Sade Gawanas, along with Deputy National Spokesperson Mr.William Minnie and other political leaders, slammed the Minister for what they described as “ministerial overreach” and a “shameless power grab.”
At the heart of the matter is Section 92 of the Local Authorities Act of 1992, which allows ministerial intervention only under specific and serious circumstances such as financial collapse or administrative failure.
The Councillors argued that this power is limited and must follow a due legal process that includes presenting hard evidence, issuing formal notices, and giving councils the right to respond.
“Minister Sankwasa has chosen to trample on these safeguards,” read the statement.
“He believes he can dissolve or suspend councils at will, without evidence, without accountability, and in total disregard of Article 18 of the Constitution.”
The councillors said the Minister was misusing constitutional provisions to justify illegal interference, warning that such actions threaten the foundation of local democracy and decentralisation in Namibia.
The councillors also responded to recent media reports that the Keetmanshoop Municipality has lost over N$77 million in three years. While they confirmed the accumulated loss figures presented in the audit report, they were quick to clarify that these losses occurred before the current council took office.
“Our councillors assumed office in early 2021, after the November 2020 elections. The financial damage reflected in the audit reports for 2020 and 2021 was inherited from previous office bearers,” statement stated.
According to the audit report, the municipality recorded an accumulated loss of N$77.3 million by June 2021 — up from N$68.3 million in 2020. The councillors attributed the losses to long-standing structural issues such as inadequate public funding, rising service delivery costs, and socio-economic inequality, not to mismanagement under the current leadership.
The council defended some of its key financial decisions, including the controversial move to write off historic water debts for the elderly, arguing that such actions were necessary to support vulnerable residents.
“This is not fiscal irresponsibility; it is restorative justice. Our decisions are guided by a commitment to serve the people, not to commodify basic human needs,” they said.
The councillors accused the media of spreading misinformation and sensationalising the financial challenges of the municipality without examining the root causes or acknowledging the steps taken to fix them.
The councillors reaffirmed their commitment to rebuilding the municipality’s finances and standing up for the residents of Keetmanshoop.”We inherited a broken system. But we have worked relentlessly to bring order, transparency, and financial stability. We will not be intimidated or distracted by political games or media distortion,” they said.
The councillors called on Namibians to remain vigilant and to reject attempts to erode democratic structures through unchecked ministerial power.
As tensions grow between local authorities and the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, the spotlight now falls on whether the central government will adhere to legal procedures or continue facing backlash over accusations of political interference.
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