By Martin Endjala

Copyright namibian

Landless People’s Movement councillor at City of Windhoek Ivan Skrywer has called minister of urban and rural development James Sankwasa a liar for saying the municipality’s planning is poor.

Skrywer, who is a member of the municipality’s management committee, says the service delivery plans are ready, contrary to what the minister said in the parliament on Tuesday.

Sankwasa told parliamentarians he is giving the City of Windhoek until the end of October to provide its plan for executing services as per the city’s budget.

He said failure to do so would force him to redirect Windhoek’s budget to other localities.

The minister recently cut the municipality’s budget allocation of N$750 million to N$255 million.

Skrywer said this budget is barely enough to successfully execute the council’s plan.

“The plan is unrealistic and the conditions attached to the funds impractical,” he told The Namibian on Tuesday.

Skrywer said the townships’ proclamations that are part of the conditions are unrealistic and that the municipality is does not approve townships, but the ministry – a process that can take up to 18 months.

“But because Sankwasa is hungry for publicity, he’s running around just talking,” he said.

Samora Machel Constituency community leader Abner Mbango on Tuesday said the residents have suffered enough and it was high time the municipality is held accountable for its failures.