Recent public announcement by Katima Mulilo Mayor,Charles Matengu on some of the achievements made by his Council in the last five years is a welcome news.
This has proven that the council which could not be able to pay salaries of its workers for three months in the past, which could down size its workforce due to financial crisis, this has been the stories of the past.
The Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Housing was forced to intervene in the management affairs to rescue it from failing to operate effectively in some of its key departments affairs especially financial and town land for it to be sustainable.
Yet the year 2015 has just kicked off, in a short distance to participate in the Regional and Local Authority Elections which is just around the corner, for the electorate of this town and region to elect the representatives of their choice.
Though, unemployment, poverty, inflation, sanitation, accommodation and health facilities are still the major problems in our society. But this is the challenge that the political office bearers and administrative managers should do to achieve.
We would like to make it clear from the start of the things that residents are expecting a new dawn of change rather to re-elect the current council of our town based on their performance or to elect new members as it has being argued by some residents of the region that some of the councillors have been there for quite a long time.
However, transparency and accountability is sharpening our participatory democracy , once these are not visible to the people this is rhetoric to the residents of our town and villages who are not happy about the behaviours of some of our councillors who have shown some signs of graft and corruption when delivering services to the people.
At this time around people should vote for young leaders to drive the council and constituencies with energy.
For the seek of political conviction that electorate not to otherwise lose their political flavour , however we do realise the efforts and gestures they have done to this town, as the door bell rings the time for them to go home and do business, we have a notable example of people who did their will in this region, the former Katima mayor, Mr John Likando a youth willingly left his office a couple of years ago, rather to be glued on the chair without making any change.
Besides that our current Local government structure since its inception it has been dominated by one tribal group, on the political ticket which also influenced the management of administration to be of the same tribe, while the toothless Anti-Corruption Commission of Namibia is failing to magnify these mess.
Don’t we see here that people should be appointed on merits based on gender balance, tribal and affirmative Action were is applicable?
Our eyes are still open , we have seen that this breeds maggots if not taken seriously. Somewhere in the hiring process lays a very big problem and it must be born in mind that this is a state owned enterprise nobody owns the council or should the line ministry take responsibility, why having this problem?
If we figure out we could see that right starting from the blue collar to white collar workers its only one tribe hired from family and friends.
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