WINDHOEK – Okahandja Mayor Valerie Aron says the dirtiness of the town is because of the municipality’s administrators not doing their job. In an interview with New Era she admitted that the town is dirty but apportioned the blame to the poor administration by the municipality.
“I have done my part, this matter comes a long way but the municipality are not doing what they get paid for. This issue has been discussed by my council and the municipality from time to time but nothing is changing and now I am the one who is shunned by the president in public,” Aron said.
New Era sought a response from Aron after President Hifikepunye Pohamba publicly rebuked the mayor and Okahandja Constituency Councillor Steve Biko Boois at the opening of the Gross Barmen resort outside Okahandja, after hearing that workers at Gross Barmen resort cleaned the town for the arrival of the president.
Pohamba was not amused that the administrators of Okahandja town have let the town degrade, with no regular cleaning service, while resort workers had to especially clean the section of the area which the president was bound to see when visiting the resort.
“How come people staying outside Okahandja clean your own place while you are there? This is absolutely intolerable,” said Pohamba, who ordered Aron and Boois to stand up.
Aron told New Era there is sabotage in the Okahandja Municipality and pleaded for outside intervention to solve the problem.
“I and the council members drafted a priority list which was forwarded to the municipality in which cleaning and maintenance were among the listed priorities but to no avail,” said Aron.
The Okahandja Municipality’s Chief Executive Officer Frans Enkali was on leave while the acting CEO Beren Kaurinuje declined to comment, only saying: “I cannot comment on anything and I am in no position to divulge any information regarding whatever you want to ask. Rather wait for the CEO himself to come answer whatever you want to know.”
By Obrein Simasiku