Public Accounts Committee member, Harold Kambrude, has said he is disheartened and concerned that the non-submission of documents as evidence by the Rundu Town Council, has resulted in N.dollars 134 million going unaccounted for.

Kambrude made the comment during the cross-examining of the Rundu Town Council management by the Public Accounts Committee here on Thursday, based on a report of the Auditor General for the 2016/17 financial year.

In his report Auditor General Junias Kandjeke stated that the financial statements of the town council do not fairly present the financial position of the council.

He said during the year 2016/17 year, amongst others, expenditure vouchers amounting to N.dollars 3.7 million and N.dollars 53 million were not submitted.

“There was non-submission of supporting documents for Value Added Tax provisions amounting to N.dollars 46 million,” he said.

Kandjeke said an unexplained difference on the bank reconciliation amounting to N.dollars 45 million, as well as non-submission of provision for leave pay policy amounting to N.dollars 7 million were some of the reasons why he gave the Rundu Town Council an adverse audit opinion.

“This is tragic. I so wish the former chief executive officers and former councillors could have been here to explain. You are in a tough position, having to explain on other people’s behalf,” Kambrude said to the three management members who attended the meeting.

He said he wished the committee were better mandated to call back former CEO’s and councillors, adding that they should be called to order as they do not properly discipline staff who do not perform.

Councils also do not also properly discipline CEOs when they do not perform, he noted.

Kambrude said it is disastrous that public money cannot be accounted for, adding that town councils should work hard to “better account for the people’s money.”

Responding to why the expenditure vouchers of N.dollars 53 million were not provided, Rundu Town Council accounting creditor Koleta Nsinano said the N.dollars 53 million included NamWater payments.

“These payments were not paid based on invoices, but paid towards just the debt,” she explained.

The other two management members that attended the meeting were strategic finance executive officer Sam Nekaro and finance manager Phillip Munango.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency