Nuusita Ashipala
ONGWEDIVA – The Helao Nafidi Town Council has accused the opposition Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) of stealing its development ideas and selling them to the public as its brainchild.
Helao Nafidi Mayor Eliaser Nghipangelwa said the call by PDM’s Ohangwena regional coordinator Hidipo Hamata to transform abandoned business buildings at the border town Oshikango, into vocational training centres, is the brainchild of the town council.
“Maybe he just heard what we are doing and decided to write the letter,” said Nghipangelwa.
In response Hamata laughed off the allegation, saying he was not aware that Helao Nafidi had initiated a similar idea.
“I did not hear anything about that. If that is their thinking, congratulations for the good initiative. Maybe we just think alike,” Hamata said.
Hamata in a recent release called on Helao Nafidi Town Council to engage the owners of abandoned buildings and transform them into vocational centres.
However, Nghipangelwa said the council has since last year been engaged in transforming one of the abandoned buildings, Dragon City, into a vocational centre focussing on mining and manufacturing courses.
The courses being facilitated by a team from Singapore will also focus on electronic manufacturing.
According to Nghipangelwa, the council is currently only waiting for the curriculum to be drafted before it operationalises the idea.
“That is where we are now. And once everything is in place the training will commence. And we are lucky because the building has enough space for hostel accommodation,” said Nghipangelwa.
Hamata said he had presented the same idea in a presentation he made during his visit to the Governor of Ohangwena Region, Usko Nghaamwa.
Hamata said the move was necessary especially during economic hardships.
“We feel it is not enough to teach our youth [on matters of] mechanics, plumbing and carpentry over and over, but to advance also in products manufactured by Chinese nationals locally. We should take advantage of this opportunity when desperate times like these strike. We need to apply desperate measures to save the economy,” he said.