By Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK
The mayors of Tsumeb, Grootfontein and Nkurenkuru have been re-elected to their positions. Rundu town however elected a new mayor, Joseph Mukoya.
Mayor of Tsumeb, Engel Nawatiseb, Grootfontein’s Rapama Kamehozu and Mayor of Nkurenkuru Heikki Hausiku retained their positions of mayor and chairperson of the respective councils.
In Tsumeb, members of the management committee also retained their positions after Linekela Shetekela was re-elected chairperson of the management committee, Matheas Sipunga as vice-chairperson and Daniel Nashidengo was elected as member.
Councillors Reiner van Zyl and Rodney Francis retain their positions as ordinary members.
They assumed their new positions on Monday.
Kamehozu of Grootfontein has been re-elected as mayor and chairperson of the council for the fifth consecutive year now.
A statement from the Grootfontein Town Council said deputy mayor Emma Taukuheke was also re-elected while the management committee remains the same. Mandume Kawana was re-elected chairperson of the management committee, Paulus Hangala, deputy chairperson and Hendrik Petrus Botha as member of the committee, while Paulus Wimmerth and Titus Boois remain ordinary members of the committee.
In Rundu, Hilka Levi was elected deputy mayor, Kudumo Christophorus chairperson of the management committee, Sabina Mefunda will serve as deputy chairperson of the management committee while Victoria Kauma and Gosbert Mandema, who previously served as mayor, were elected as additional members of the committee.
Six of the seven-member Rundu Town Council are Swapo, while Celestinus Shikerete is from the Congress of Democrats.
Hendrina Naingwendje was re-elected deputy mayor of Nkurenkuru, Erastus Kandjimi and Thomas Ngoma as chairperson and vice chairperson of the management committee, while Maria Siwaya was elected additional member to the committee.
All Nkurenkuru’s councillors are from Swapo Party.
Meanwhile, Nkurenkuru has appealed to the Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development to ensure the speedy completion of the long-awaited Nkurenkuru Town Council offices.
Naingwendje said the completion of the offices would ensure efficient service delivery at the town.
The construction of the N$2,7-million building was scheduled for completion in January this year.
Administrative duties of the council are being conducted from the premises of the Lutheran Church Hospital at Nkurenkuru.
The timely completion of the offices, according to the mayor, will provide a conducive working environment for his staff in rendering services effectively to residents.
The mayor pointed out that his council faces challenges that can only be tackled in a conducive working environment.
Amongst the challenges, the mayor said, is the high unemployment rate among the youth, poverty and hunger as well as a lack of funds for development projects.
In his acceptance speech, Tsumeb mayor Engel Nawatiseb said Namibians cannot talk about the struggle for freedom and independence without talking about the contribution of the Namibian workers to that struggle.
He urged Tsumeb residents to remain focused and to attain objectives of the struggle for economic emancipation and empowerment of the previously disadvantaged.
“Today, we speak of the need to create decent and sustainable employment opportunities. We talk about the need for robust economic growth, we talk about the need to attract foreign direct investment, we talk about harnessing the awesome power of information communication technology, we also talk about globalisation and how it affects our country,” he said.
He added that these are vital tools in making the town a favourable destination for investments and for the achievement of its development goals.
“For this to happen, however, we must ensure that all stakeholders are well-equipped to compete with the best around the world,” he said.
(Additional reporting by Nampa)