ACC hard at work in Otjozondjupa
Otjozondjupa governor James Uerikua says the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has made incredible steps to curb corruption in the region, adding that during the 2021/22 financial year, three people were convicted and sentenced by the Otjiwarongo Magistrate’s Court.
Making the remarks during his state of region address last Friday, he said of those convicted, one was an Otjiwarongo municipality official who was found guilty of falsifying documents.
Meanwhile, a finance ministry official and a works ministry staff member – both from Otjiwarongo - were convicted for using their office for personal gratification.
“A former official of the ministry of finance at Otjiwarongo was arrested on charges of corruption before he resigned.
"A former councillor of Grootfontein municipality was arrested, but has not yet been convicted. Three former councillors of the Okahandja municipality were arrested, but are not yet convicted,” he added.
Uerikua further said there is one case being investigated by the ACC at Grootfontein municipality pertaining to land issues, as well as a corruption case at Otjiwarongo municipality and another at Otavi town council.
“The ACC is not only there to pursue perpetrators, but also to train and build capacity through awareness creation,” he said.
He added that Otavi town council and Okahandja municipality staff were trained in corruption risk assessment and ethics alongside police officers and teachers at Otavi.
Strive to be corruption-free
“My call to the region is that we should strive to be a corruption-free region by upholding the values and standards as stipulated in the Anti-Corruption Act,” the mayor said.
Uerikua further mentioned that the community hampers the work of the ACC by being afraid of reporting cases of possible corruption to relevant authorities.
As a region, he said, their mantra remains one of participatory planning and integrated development.
“We want to ensure that every cent of government [money] is effectively utilised to address the needs of the region. Therefore, there is no need for programmes to compete, but rather they should complement each other because the outputs are intended to benefit the broader citizens of this great region and the nation at large.”
Making the remarks during his state of region address last Friday, he said of those convicted, one was an Otjiwarongo municipality official who was found guilty of falsifying documents.
Meanwhile, a finance ministry official and a works ministry staff member – both from Otjiwarongo - were convicted for using their office for personal gratification.
“A former official of the ministry of finance at Otjiwarongo was arrested on charges of corruption before he resigned.
"A former councillor of Grootfontein municipality was arrested, but has not yet been convicted. Three former councillors of the Okahandja municipality were arrested, but are not yet convicted,” he added.
Uerikua further said there is one case being investigated by the ACC at Grootfontein municipality pertaining to land issues, as well as a corruption case at Otjiwarongo municipality and another at Otavi town council.
“The ACC is not only there to pursue perpetrators, but also to train and build capacity through awareness creation,” he said.
He added that Otavi town council and Okahandja municipality staff were trained in corruption risk assessment and ethics alongside police officers and teachers at Otavi.
Strive to be corruption-free
“My call to the region is that we should strive to be a corruption-free region by upholding the values and standards as stipulated in the Anti-Corruption Act,” the mayor said.
Uerikua further mentioned that the community hampers the work of the ACC by being afraid of reporting cases of possible corruption to relevant authorities.
As a region, he said, their mantra remains one of participatory planning and integrated development.
“We want to ensure that every cent of government [money] is effectively utilised to address the needs of the region. Therefore, there is no need for programmes to compete, but rather they should complement each other because the outputs are intended to benefit the broader citizens of this great region and the nation at large.”
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