WINDHOEKELVIS MURARANGANDA
Allegations have emerged that the City of Windhoek shelved a study conducted into the multi-million-dollar upgrading of Herero Mall in Katutura because the consultant is a Herero.
The consultant, George Kozonguizi, said yesterday: “At the last council meeting [last week], in my presence, the chief executive officer [Niilo Taapopi] said they reject my study because I am a Herero and the area is Herero Mall, which is predominantly traded by Herero-speaking people.”
This has been categorically denied by the City, who said the study had been drawn up without its input.
Kozonguizi, who is a town planner and environmental scientist, was hired to conduct a socio-economic need analysis for Herero Mall.
He was hired by the Namibian Informal Sector Organisation (NISO), which represents Herero Mall traders, after a City of Windhoek resolution mandated the organisation to do so.
But Kozonguizi said the City now disputes that this was done with their approval.
“They also said I was hired without their approval and that I was a municipal employee. Which is not true, since I left the municipality about seven years ago,” explained Kozonguizi.
“From the word go, they [City of Windhoek] had a problem with me being hired to do the study.”
He added: “I sent them the terms of references for their input but they did not respond. I sent them the questionnaire for them to add or remove questions, but they failed to do so. When the final document was ready, I sent it to them but they did not add anything or even respond. They even boycotted the launch of the document after we invited them.”
Kozonguizi said he is a professional and therefore should be judged according to the merit and content of his work and not his tribe.
“To my dismay these two things came up at the meetings of the council regarding Herero Mall,” Kozonguizi said.
He added that the study does reflect the wishes of the traders and that the proposed developments are expected to formalise trading.
Meanwhile, the municipality's spokesperson Joshua Amukugo dismissed the allegation that Kozonguizi's tribal background is the reason for them shelving the N$210 000 study, financed by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.
“We should not allow anyone to highjack the project just like that,” he explained.
“They [NISO and Kozonguizi] decided to compile the document without the input of the City of Windhoek. They only forwarded the document for our information and not input.”
“We still want the area to be developed, but we can't accept a study that was sent to us for our information.”
A council resolution of July 2012 indicates that City of Windhoek did not have the necessary funds to conduct the study and hence NISO was requested to solicit funds elsewhere.
However, Amukugo is of the opinion that this should not mean things “must be done randomly” as funds can always be solicited from somewhere.
“We are in the process of securing money to possibly conduct another study for the area. But I cannot give you a timeframe as to when this will happen” Amukugo said.
Kozonguizi's study includes the concept designs, as well as a drafted code of conduct for the operation of the mall. The design also proposes that the market starts generating its own solar electricity, with the excess to be sold to the City of Windhoek.
“There will be two access gates - one on Clemens Kapuuo Street and the other at the back facing the Theo Katjimune Primary School. These are control and safety measures,” Kozonguizi said during an earlier interview.