Renthia Kaimbi
Zambezi regional councillors involved in an unauthorised trip to Botswana and Zambia have fully repaid N$136 000 in subsistence and travel allowances (S&T), the Windhoek Observer has learnt.
Sources close to the matter confirmed that those who repaid the money include former chairperson of the management committee Matengu Simushi, who is the husband of Zambezi governor Dorothy Kabula.
Other councillors involved were Humphrey Divai, Kennedy Simasiku and Ivene Kabunga.
Of the four, only Simasiku currently serves on the new council.
Kabula was also part of the trip but obtained separate authorisation from the Presidency.
The repayments follow an order by urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa, who a month ago directed the Zambezi Regional Council to recover the funds spent on the trip.
Sankwasa had refused to approve the travel, citing exhausted travel funds and questioning its economic benefit.
The trip took place from late September to early October 2025.
At the time, the council’s finance deputy warned that the travel budget was depleted and that the council lacked basic office supplies. The delegation proceeded despite the warning.
Information provided to the Windhoek Observer shows that the recovery process differed based on individual circumstances.
For those no longer serving in politics or as councillors, the money was recovered through deductions from accrued leave days. Where leave days were not enough, deductions were made from pension payouts. Some individuals offered to repay the money in installments.
Current management committee chairperson Bernard Sisamu confirmed that the repayments were made but could not confirm the exact methods used.
“What I learnt is that deductions went on to pay back that money. I’m quite sure that it happened during their leave days,” Sisamu told the Windhoek Observer.
Sankwasa has taken a firm stance against unauthorised travel by local and regional authority officials. He has issued similar repayment directives to councils in Windhoek and Henties Bay.
In the Zambezi case, Sankwasa maintained that while Kabula had presidential approval, the accompanying councillors were required by law to obtain separate approval from his ministry. That approval was denied.
In a letter dated 10 October 2025, Sankwasa accused Kabula and Simushi of “flouting governance rules by using their marital relationship to circumvent administrative processes.”
At the time, both Kabula and Simushi publicly challenged the minister’s authority.
Kabula said, “I report to the President, not Sankwasa,” while Simushi said the repayment demand was based on internal directives rather than statutory law.
The full repayment by all councillors now reflects compliance with the minister’s directive.
Confirmation from the office of the acting Zambezi chief regional officer is still pending.
The matter follows the suspension of former chief regional officer Regina Ndopu, who was also part of the delegation, in September 2025.
The minister previously stated that Ndopu was on suspension at the time of the trip and had not been reinstated.
