The outcry by traditional authorities in Omaheke region for decent office space to run their affairs have finally been answered with the announcement that the Omaheke Regional Council has secured N$17 million for the construction of three office blocks.
This was said by Kalahari constituency councillor and chairperson of the regional council management committee, Ignatius Kariseb, who was re-elected as chairperson of the management committee yesterday.
The N$17 million will be used to construct the offices for the Ovambanderu Traditional Authority and Maharero Traditional Authority, as well as renovations of the Batswana Ba Namibia Traditional Authority offices.
“Let me again bestow my gratitude to my colleague and former regional councillor for Okorukambe constituency, the late Kilus Nguvauva, who tirelessly lobbied for the construction of the Ovambanderu offices.
“It is because of his efforts, as well as the region’s priority needs and the motion of current Okorukambe councillor Rocco Nguvauva in the National Council, that I announce that the Regional Council has secured a total of N$17 million for the construction of those offices,” said Kariseb.
“I must also direct the administration under the leadership of our chief regional officer to start the necessary bidding processes as matter of urgency. Once, again let me remind the administration to ensure that our youth and local contractors in Omaheke benefit from these projects to the maximum.
“We must make sure that the young people benefit from all these opportunities. I want to further direct the administration to place youth unemployment in Omaheke region as a standing point on the council’s agenda,” he said.
Kariseb also called on his fellow councillors to collaborate efforts to ensure that settlements like Tallismanus, Buitepos, Epukiro and Aminuis are upgraded and declared local authority areas, while also pushing for Otjinene to be graduated to a town and for Eiseb 10 and Farm du Plessis to be moved up to settlement areas status.
“Through our efforts, both as former and current councillors, we have also seen the upgrading of the Farm du Plessis-Epukiro road to bitumen standards. However, our work in this regard does not end here, as our mission is to see the upgrading of this road up to Eiseb 10 through Epukiro Post 3, in order to provide the required economic benefits to the inhabitants and other road users.
“Equally to that, we must make sure that the upgrading of Buitepos-Tallismanus road is realised to provide the needed economic benefits. We must give our undivided support as Council towards the realisation of these very important roads,” he said.
It is because of these efforts that these areas enjoy capital investments for development in terms of water and electricity supply to households, business or industrial purposes; providing and maintaining refuse removal services; constructing and maintaining streets and collecting revenue from charges in respect of services provided in the areas, he added. -ohembapu@nepc.com.na