OMAHEKE governor Pijoo Nganate says the Gobabis Local Authority Council and the Omaheke Regional Council failed to build 32 Build Together houses last year.
He said this during his state of the region address last Friday.
According to Nganate, last year the Gobabis municipality was given N$2,5 million by the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development for the Build Together Programme, however not a single house was built by the municipality and the regional council.
He said this is disappointing.
“I repeat that our people must enjoy their basic rights and God-given benefits in their localities and region and by extension their motherland.
“Their cries are not too far-fetched as they appeal among others, for shelter. Local authorities, for how long will they wait?” he asked.
Nganate added that the regional council and the municipality cannot continue reporting on plans while no houses are constructed and no erven are allocated to the people.
He said he warned last year that too much land was being allocated to property developers, yet the people are still without land.
“I am still of the opinion that the council must recognise that the current model of servicing land perpetuates inequality and does not address the core issue of land delivery,” Nganate said.
The governor said the use of contractors to service land creates a large vacuum and further divides the that can afford against the masses who cannot afford servised land.
According to him, the region has a number of youths who have the skills, knowledge and competencies to service land.
Nganate said the municipality and regional council must empower young people to service their own land.
This, he said, would drastically reduce the cost of serviced land.
He said the council should end the outright sale of land to property developers for housing.
“Alternatively, the focus should be for council to get involved in servicing land, control prices and deliver cheaper plots to residents,” he said.
Nganate added that focus should be shifted towards growing the economy of Gobabis by encouraging and giving incentives to more investors who will create employment for the residents of Gobabis and Omaheke region at large.
Former Gobabis council’s chairperson Anna Kawana said what Nganate said were his own views.
“How did we fail if the project was stopped by the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development due to Covid-19? We started with the project and the names of the beneficiaries were submitted to the ministry. We could not go ahead because of Covid-19,” she said.
Chairperson of Omaheke regional council, Ignatius Gariseb said they made recommendations to council staff on what should be done to finish half-built houses at Gobabis that have been standing unoccupied for years.
“A serious delay in the construction of the houses was experienced. However, the council has brought up a new concept which will be tabled at the council tomorrow (today) so that the houses are completed,” he said.
Gobabis mayor Elvire Theron, said she and her council are not happy with Nganate’s comments that the council failed to build houses.
“He must clearly state that the previous council failed. His comments are now creating a negative perception about the current council. He must talk about the previous council,” Theron said.
The governor said crime in the region is manageable although 339 cases of stock theft involving 1 755 animals were recorded last year alone.
The region also recorded 25 cases of murder and 17 cases of housebreaking and theft.
He said the value of stolen livestock was N$8,8 million while animals worth 5,7 million, were recovered from the thieves.
“It is concluded that alcohol and drug abuse are the main causes of these crimes,” he said.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!
