Urban and Rural Development Minister, Sankwasa James Sankwasa, has condemned what he describes as unethical and potentially criminal behavior by certain local authority councillors, accusing them of exploiting public land for personal gain.
Speaking to NTV, Sankwasa revealed that some councillors at an undisclosed local authority had purchased land for as little as N$5 and later sold it at significantly inflated prices within their own networks.
“They acquire plots for next to nothing and sell them within their circles,” the minister stated, adding that he is in possession of documents that substantiate these transactions.
This revelation comes amid ongoing controversy in Katima Mulilo, where plots of land were reportedly exchanged for vehicles, a practice that has now drawn the attention of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Sankwasa questioned the legality and morality of such transactions, particularly in the absence of laws that permit bartering of land for goods or services.
“We don’t have laws in this country that allow public land to be traded for vehicles. When people claim it’s just an administrative matter, what exactly do they mean?” he asked.
He further argued that if the vehicles involved were acquired through corrupt dealings, they should be subject to forfeiture.
“It’s equivalent to stealing government land, giving it to friends, and then insisting there’s no criminality involved,” he concluded.
The Katima Mulilo land scandal remains under investigation by the ACC, as public concern grows over the misuse of public resources by elected officials.
