Windhoek Councillors travel the world N$1,1m gone in 4 trips, nothing to show for it

• By Kaipaherue Kandjii

BROKE City of Windhoek spent N$1,104,082 on four October and November 2023 trips.

The trip to Shanghai, China, for the Smart City Expo from October 12 to 14, 2023, cost N$317,385. The second trip was to Bremen, Germany, from October 15 to 21, 2023, and cost N$222,376.

The third was to Kigali, Rwanda, for the Commonwealth Local Government Conference from November 11 to 17, 2023, at N$195,700.

The last trip was to Congo-Brazzaville in November 2023, which cost the City N$368,621. The City has bluntly refused to light on the trips, and S&T paid to its councillors for overseas trips and the benefits from such trips, if any, residents did or are likely to gain.

Its corporate communications manager, Harold Akwenye, recently stated that what they pay councillors in S&T claims or trips undertaken in recent years remains a secret.

The only audited financial reports exist from June 2019 to June 2020 – just barely a few months before the swearing-in of the incumbent politicians from the opposition bench after they dethroned the Swapo Party from the hierarchy of the entity.

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