Written by Patience Nyangove
Thursday, 10 June 2010
SWAPO Member of Parliament and Rehoboth businessman, Theo Diergaardt has for the past five years allegedly not been paying rates and utility bills to the Rehoboth Town Council, Informanté can reveal.
Impeccable council sources said Diergaardt, who is Councillor for Rehoboth West Urban in the Hardap Region, owed the Town Council over N$50,000 in unpaid rates and utility bills for the service station he operates in the town by end of 2009.
Documents in possession of Informanté also reveal that since September 2009 to the end of April 2010, Diergaardt had not been paying the monthly N$3,146.40 rates for farming on council land.
The sources said in December 2009 the council effected an amnesty on everyone owing council and Diergaardt's bill was slashed by 70%.
"Diergaardt's Service Station's bill for water, rates and taxes which is now more than N$50,000 is for between three to five years. Besides that he owes council more than N$20,000 now in grazing fees since he is farming on council land which he hasn't been paying on a monthly basis."
Another council source said the amnesty mostly targets pensioners and the poor who can't afford paying utility bills and rates.
"It's unfortunate and very embarrassing that a well-off businessman and politician also takes advantage of a facility set up for the less fortunate members of society. Diergaardt has not been paying his monthly bills for years waiting for council to have an amnesty where he only has to pay 30% of his bills," the source said.
Rehoboth Town Council Deputy Mayor, George Dax confirmed that Diergaardt who represents the Hardap Region in the National Council had not been paying council rates and bills.
"I was informed by officials although I am not involved in the administration of council funds. It's been going on for years and council cannot do anything about it because he has political power. He has power to influence certain people within council so that he goes on not paying council rates and utility bills.
"When I was still Mayor I spoke about this issue and it's one of the reasons I was ousted for and labelled an enemy. Politicians are not paying up their bills and then they complain that the town is not developing," Dax said.
Rehoboth's new Mayor David Richter, who is Diergaardt's friend, this week said he could not comment because he was in a meeting.
"Just say you spoke to the Mayor and he said he was busy and he will investigate the matter," Richter said.
Hardap Governor, Katrina Hanse Himalwa, said if it's true that Diergaardt is not paying council rates and utility bills then he is highly being unethical.
"If it is true that the Councillor is making himself money and not paying council rates and utility bills then it is unethical. As a Councillor he needs to set a good example by paying his rates. How will you ask residents to pay rates when you yourself are not doing so?" She asked.
Diergaardt denied that he owed council money in unpaid rates and utility bills saying his payments were not invoiced because of council's maladministration.
"It's not true. I was never invoiced. It's not water, electricity, it's a special thing that they never invoiced me and invoiced me wrongly. I pay rates and utility bills on a monthly basis," he said.
When asked to prove his innocence by producing monthly receipts showing that he has been paying, Diergaardt said the receipts where in his office and he was no longer in Rehoboth.
When pressed to ask someone to fax the receipts to Informanté Diergaardt threatened to sue this journalist and report her to Informanté Editor, Max Hamata.
No comments:
Post a Comment