Staff Reporter
THE case of the alleged illegal sand mining activities in which the constituency councillor for the Oniipa Constituency, Tully Nuunyango, is implicated was heard in the Ondonga Community Court today, and the matter will now be referred to the environment ministry for further investigation.
The court determined that both the councillor and the headman of a village near Oshigambo overstepped their authority when they allowed sand mining activities without first seeking and obtaining authorisation from the Ondonga Traditional Authority (OTA) and without the approval of the environment ministry.
It is alleged that the OTA only became aware of the ongoing sand mining when environmental officials were tipped off and, in turn, contacted the OTA.
Both the councillor and the headman could not explain to the court the amount of sand that had already been mined because there was no proper supervision.
The sand miners allegedly deposited an unspecified amount of money into the village’s bank account, which is, in itself, an irregularity since such funds should be paid to the Traditional Authority.
A court source said that the sand miners will be summoned to appear before the community court next week.
