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The Minister of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development, Jerry Ekandjo, officially opened a week long induction seminar for regional and municipal councillors with a stern warning that tribalism, nepotism and mismanagement in councils will not be tolerated. “This induction workshop lays a foundation for your effective and efficient performance as elected councillors. The people of Namibia are yearning for the delivery of services through the implementation of developmental programmes as articulated during the election campaign. The responsibilities entrusted on you as political leaders, is (sic) of enormous magnitude as the very lives and the livelihood of the residents are dependent on your decisions and performance. As elected Councillors, you have the duty and responsibility to ensure that the services for your constituencies are delivered effectively and efficiently.”
He said that the central government would be left ineffective without the extended arms of sub-national government structures. “Being the link between central government and local residents alike, you as political leaders must understand the working of the legislature, judiciary and executive branches of government as they relate to each other and their connection to regional and local authority governments as well as to individual citizens. Over the years, it has become a tendency of some councillors, to use the platform of Council and Management Committee Meetings, for their own personal agendas or settle scores with administrative staff or among themselves. Furthermore, issues of tribalism, favouritism and maladministration have been the order of the day in some Councils. These practices will not be tolerated.”
The Minister also lashed out at some councillors that solicit legal or professional advice from unscrupulous sources or even very junior officials. “This has given rise to conflicting interpretation and application of our rules and procedures, which has further created conflict between politicians and their management, and also maladministration. If you have doubts on the advice given, you can refer the matter to my Ministry and if there is still clarity needed, we will refer the matter to the Office of the Attorney-General. As the Minister responsible for Regional Councils, I urge all of you to shelve your political hats outside of the councils’ gates and doors and put aside your political differences for the interest and sake of the people of Namibia. Political wrangling has proven to be a terminal cancer that eats into the core of the service delivery to the communities, if not nipped in the bud. It is incumbent upon all of you that this tendency is totally curbed right at the onset before it rears its ugly head,” he added.
In his address the Mayor of Walvis Bay, Derek Klazen, reminded the councillors that they are at the forefront of a battle to promote and bring about the wellbeing, development and growth of all constituencies. “All eyes are on us to lead the way in ensuring that we, as elected office-bearers and managers, deliver on our promises. Some of us have experienced the trials and tribulations a council undergoes when confronted with the ever-increasing demand for services, improvements and growth in the face of limited resources. We have been forced to make difficult and unpopular decisions; decisions that may have contradicted the very promises we made in our election campaigns. Yet, we understand that the future and well-being of our people, our communities, our constituents and our towns supersede any lofty ideals that we may have,” he said.
He said that councillors should not dread the search for the balance of leading, providing for and supporting the various communities with the threat of dwindling resources. “We should be practical in our decisions and initiatives; constantly asking ourselves if such decisions or actions are truly in the interest and wellbeing of our constituents. We should be innovative and implement strategies that will fill gaps of insufficient resources,” he added.
The Mayor urged councillors to involve their communities in council decisions and programmes, as this will gain the trust and support of the communities. “More-over, as newly elected and re-elected office bearers we have the optimum opportunity to create a truly inter-connected Namibian community, by sharing our experiences, the lessons-learned and practical solutions to common town management problems among all local authorities. However, for this concept to gain momentum we need to eradicate the alarming trends of infighting, corruption and mismanagement in some of our local authorities in the past. Such practices do not only bring discredit and mistrust on the heads of such leaders, but contravene the Local Authorities Act and the Constitution of Namibia, not to mention the tenets of Vision 2030.”
Some of the issues to be discussed include the decentralisation process, procurement and the Tender Board regulations, the Valuation Court, housing schemes, personnel rules, grievance procedures, the importance of community participation, the budgeting process and land management.
