The Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement has made a raft of promises as the nation gears up for the regional council and local authority elections next month.
The pressure group, which has registered as an association for the upcoming polls, yesterday unveiled its 34-page manifesto for the City of Windhoek and candidates for the 15-member city council.
The candidates are IIlse Keister, Priscilla Heita, Maitjituavi Kavetu, Sydney Mutelom, Simon Amunime, Isdor Kamati, George Kambala, Dimbulukeni Nauyoma, Nasunga Lukubwe, Nathanael Kalola, Kenneth Namoloh, Abed-nego Shishiveni, Trudy Gertze and Job Amupanda. Introducing the Windhoek Radical Transformation (WRT) programme, the AR promised employment creation, in-sourcing, and the banning of unnecessary tenders, establishment of municipality-owned enterprises, reduction of rates and taxes by 12%, the establishment of eastern and western industries as well as the establishment of Windhoek-based institute for municipal research.
They also vowed to deliver on housing, health and local sport economy. AR also promised the establishment of a psychosocial support unit, transparency in city programmes and activities, monthly mayoral residents addresses, the fall of Curt von François statue, permitting African architecture and alternative building methods and diversification of revenue sources.
“The purpose of the WRT is to serve as an intervention to a deteriorating situation. It is the painkiller that brings calmness to the body to enable an operation to take place to deal with the actual and underlying conditions from which the city currently suffers,” said AR leader Nauyoma. “Without anaesthesia, an operation will not be possible because the pain will be unbearable to the body. Because of its stabilising effect, the WRT enables a fundamental transformation of Windhoek through several radical interventions.”
The document details the commitment and programme of action to be embarked upon by the City of Windhoek under the AR leadership, if elected into power, from 2021 to 2025. Nauyoma said although Section 58 of the Local Authority Act allows for the establishment of a Housing Fund, Windhoek has never made use of this provision to help address the issue of housing. Therefore, AR promised, this provision would be utilised to its fullest and an entity established for housing finance in Windhoek. Equally, AR said, Windhoek has an asset base of more than N$20 billion, but the City has not done anything to leverage on this. They pledged this asset base will be used to raise funds for the city’s development.
“It is a simple, logical, revolutionary, and resolute text that seeks to bring radical transformation that prioritise housing, happiness, employment, development and decoloniality. Competent activists and professionals have been assembled to drive this change,” said AR activist-in-chief Amupanda, who is also aspiring to become Windhoek mayor. Amupanda explained the details are then provided on the programmes of action through five areas of interventions, including economic intervention, social intervention, political intervention, management intervention and financial intervention.
“In short, this document identifies the problems and its root causes, sketches the environment and conditions, and provides directions of what is to be done. It outlines the interventions and details of the resources required and where these will be obtained.”
According to Amupanda, the city will unquestionably be distinguished because of important interventions that prevented it from degenerating and becoming a failed city. “By voting for AR to take over the City of Windhoek, you are not only participating in writing history, but you are also taking control of the steering wheel of a public bus at the decisive moment when a corrupt drunk driver is about to drive off a bridge, sinking the bus with the passengers into the deep sea. It is all in your hands. It has always been,” he charged.
-anakale@nepc.com.na