TSUMEB – The former mayor of Tsumeb, Engel Nawatiseb, bade farewell to his staff and the community members of Tsumeb0 as he heads for parliament.
Nawatiseb made it onto the list of 10 people nominated by President Hifikepunye Pohamba that will be serving as members of parliament.
Nawatiseb, together with others, will be sworn in by the incoming Head of State, Dr Hage Geingob, who will take over from President Hifikepunye Pohamba on March 21.
Speaking at the farewell function held for him in Tsumeb recently, he encouraged his colleagues to remain committed, steadfast and be masters of their own destinies.
“We collectively built up all these projects and businesses, which give all of us and your families a lifeline, and it should not be spoiled because those benefiting from our services will always be indebted to your professional conduct at all times and will never forgive you if you mismanage the operations. As such, I am equally assigned a position of responsibility with great trust and I am going to honour this mandate and carry out my responsibilities with deep integrity,” promised the former New Era journalist.
Nawatiseb, who will be part of the team in the 6th Parliament, owns several businesses – which have created 15 permanent and 25 temporary jobs for local residents.
He also brought notable developments to the town of Tsumeb during his tenure as mayor, namely the construction of shopping malls and an industrial and agricultural park, to mention a few.
He expressed his satisfaction with the professionalism associated with the production of staff members, noting that the output is of great standard hence business will be as usual and co-ordinated by his equally committed shareholders.
The former mayor appealed for continued support from all stakeholders and consumers, adding that the type of business interests were previously not available at the town and residents had to travel long distances to meet laundry and dry cleaning as well as media needs.
“All of us have a task to perform in the interest of our communities. My previous council contributed in our own way to diversify the Tsumeb economy by ensuring that the town missed the status of ghost town.
Therefore, I respect and trust that our future generations shall not compromise the ideals that their predecessors stood for in the quest to place Tsumeb on the map of fast-developing towns,” he stated.
He urged his staff to do what is in the best interest of service recipients and to brave challenges by remaining focussed on their work and not to fall in the trap of detractors of progress.
“I am happy to join parliament. I enjoyed cordial relations with all my presidents and I have no doubt that I will serve the nation to the best of my ability to discharge my duties as entrusted. I am also happy to witness the peaceful transition of power from one leader to another in my lifetime,” he said.
He served as mayor from 2006 to 2010.