Kasika — The community of Kasika in Zambezi region is displeased with the government’s efforts in maintaining existing infrastructures.
According to the residents, the lack of maintenance has resulted in buildings such as the immigration office being in a deplorable state.
The immigration office was built and donated to the line ministry by the late local businessman Gerhardus Visagie.
“It is a shame that government is failing to maintain the office after it was donated to the immigration ministry by the late Visagie. A gazetted office was even left out from the rural electrification project that targeted government facilities,” said Beritha Musipili, a resident of Kasika.
He further said the building is in a terrible state and it is not fit to be a working environment.
“If you ask the officials at the office, you will feel sorry for them. They are indeed suffering. We don’t want that office to close down. If that happens, we will suffer a lot because Impalila is very far,” said another resident Lucius Mafwila.
While touring the building, which coincided with rain showers, New Era observed how water was coming down through the roof and wall cracks.
Immigration officials could be seen trying to salvage the situation by putting buckets in places where there are leaks. However, it looked difficult to contain as there were too many leaks.
Allegedly, the situation gets worse when it rains heavily as the offices get flooded and employees are forced to close the shop.
Contacted for comment, Zambezi regional immigration deputy director Matrida Musweu was reluctant to comment on the matter.
She did, however, acknowledge that she was aware of the circumstances at the immigration office.
“Nampol members were there to make quotations so that we renovate the building, and those quotations were forwarded to Windhoek,” Musweu stated briefly.