Open Letter toKavango West

I greet you as my mother region, the place I was born, raised and moulded into the person I have become.

In the past decade or so that you have existed, many questions have been asked.

Your heart, the glorious and beautiful town known as Nkurenkuru, leaves a lot to be desired.

Not to say it should be a blooming megalopolis, but the town’s infrastructure and overall appearance could be better.

I have had the blessing and privilege to travel to a town or two within the country and it is fair to say there are towns worth emulating.

I have observed that Rundu, for example, has a central business district, defined residential areas and infrastructure linking the two.

I suggest such structure at Nkurenkuru too after all this time. The geography of the town demonstrates the potential to be more aesthetically appealing, given the proper planning and execution of said plans.

For a young region, it is embarrassing to have white elephants and almost nothing is done about them.

My memory serves that around 2013, the then president of Namibia, Hifikepunye Pohamba, broke the ground to commence the construction of what would be a referral hospital just east of Elcin Nkurenkuru High School.

Ten years later we are still looking at a vacant plot that has become encroached with bushes and is a haven for all sorts of criminals and their activities, especially stock theft.

What came close to consolation was the primary healthcare facility close to the combined school, which also was at a standstill until the pandemic shook the whole country into action.

Regional mothers and fathers, over to you.

In the professional world, one has to acquire certain skills to qualify for a certain occupation.

This extends to construction.

There have been at least two instances where major/capital projects were granted to individuals who were clearly not of the caliber to execute those projects.

Here is a layman’s suggestion: Why not get competent, qualified and well-equipped contractors for such jobs and as part of the deals they also transfer their skills and knowledge?

This would empower our own people.

This is an election year, so before we put on our various political parties’ regalia to convince voters to entrust us with certain tasks and offices for at least the next five years, we need to dissect some of these issues and come up with specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound solutions and answers to questions.

It may seem as though the masses are in a slumber, but a surprise may be brewing.

The Kavango West has the potential to be better.

Nkurenkuru has the potential to do much better.

Munwa Kavango