Windhoek
The first ever female National Council chairperson, Margaret Mensah-Williams, has vowed that it will no longer be business as usual. All 14 regional councillors will from now on be required to deliver regional reports.
Over the years, there has been a public outcry that regional councillors are never seen and only resurface during elections when they vie for votes.
Speaking to New Era yesterday Mensah-Williams said the regional reports will be mandatory, where members of the National Council oversee activities in their respective constituencies. It is the first time, she said, that the National Council introduces such reports, so that planning and development go accordingly.
“The way we did business usually we had no regional reports. As chairperson with my leadership, we have committed that regions will have to bring their reports and debate it in parliament, so we can hear and see if there is something going on in the constituencies or not.”
She urged fellow regional councillors to build active constituency and/or village development committees and said councillors must have regular constituency meetings to operate effectively at grassroots level.
Asked how she manages to serve both as chairperson of the National Council and Windhoek Urban Constituency Councillor, she said planning is key. “If someone wants to go and illegally erect a shack in my constituency, there are leaders there and the police will be there immediately. So, that’s the collaboration and cooperation that you should have. They are part of the leadership. You are not there in isolation. You must know your people, interact with them and listen to them,” she said.
She further said her constituency office has useful social networking platforms, such as a WhatsApp group, and that other councillors should consider using such platforms.
“What helps me a lot is the ability to interact on social media. We load things there. People know what is going. We should learn to use the mediums of communication available to us.
“I have WhatsApp groups for my neighbourhood watch, constituency office, even for my political party (Swapo),” she said.
Other issues include the outreach programmes, where she intends to interact with development players in all 14 regions to exchange ideas, network and provide guidance.
“Sometimes people don’t understand their responsibilities, they get elected and they are thrown in there. If you don’t do intense induction, they won’t understand how things are done, such as public speaking and handling of the media. We should be available to listen to the people,” Mensah-Williams said.
She said the National Council has proposed to the National Assembly a bill aimed at introducing a Constituency Development Fund. “In the past, constituencies had no development funds. If you ask for development you have to wait, hence it delays projects,” she noted.
As a strategy to improve service delivery, Mensah-Williams said the National Council, in partnership with the European Union and the Namibia Institute for Democracy (NID), plans to host a Constituency Week in the coming months, where all 42 councillors will have an opportunity to interact with people on the ground.
She said they will also involve the media to cover ongoing activities in the 42 constituencies. Of the 42 members in the National Council there are currently 11 women, compared to seven last year.