Lahja Nashuuta
For the past few years, the Gobabis Municipality, once a mecca of excellence, has been turned into a political hotbed, where bickering and battles of egos thrive.
It was no different on Monday when Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa visited the local authority to ascertain facts from fiction.
His visit came after residents of Gobabis called Sankwasa for intervention, citing what they describe as “poor service delivery” by the local authority. Sankwasa met with the leadership of the Gobabis Municipality on Monday to deliberate on a report by the Ombudsman, which uncovered serious governance failures, mismanagement, and internal strife within the municipal structure.
In a petition handed over by community activist Veronia Kuzeeko-Mokaleng of the Right to Shelter Group, residents listed a wide range of grievances, among them being chronic electricity and water outages, deteriorating sanitation, non-functional infrastructure, and the stalling of housing projects meant for the poor. The community said power and water supply disruptions have become the order of the day, often lasting several hours or even days.
“We are forced to live without water and electricity for days at a time. These blackouts are affecting our health, businesses and dignity,” the petition reads.
It further revealed that waste management is another challenge, stating that rubbish is left uncollected for weeks in several neighbourhoods, leading to the accumulation of garbage and rising health risks. “Many households don’t even have proper waste bins. Conditions in some areas are appalling,” said Kuzeeko-Mokaleng.
According to the petition, despite regular billing for municipal services, what residents receive in return is far from satisfactory.
“We pay for water, electricity and garbage removal. Yet the service delivery is unreliable, inconsistent, and in some cases non-existent,” it notes. This raises serious concerns about mismanagement and possible misuse of public funds,” the community activist said.
Another point of frustration is the non-functioning of the health inspection unit, especially at public facilities like the Blue Market, which residents say has become unhygienic and unfit for public use.
The lack of communication and accountability from municipal leaders has also angered residents. They also accused the municipality of poor communication, saying it rarely informs the public about disruptions, maintenance schedules, or planned upgrades, leaving the community in the dark, both literally and figuratively.
“Over 90% of the streetlights in Gobabis are not working. Our streets are pitch black at night. It’s not just about discomfort; it’s about safety,” further reads the petition.
The petition also slammed the local authority for its purported failure to provide land and housing to residents, particularly through programmes like Build Together and the Mass Housing Project.
“Although 250 Mass Housing serviced plots are available, they are lying idle while thousands are without land. Land is often given to developers, while ordinary people are sidelined,” residents complained.
They further demanded action on 53 plots already approved for beneficiaries of the Community Build Together programme, which remain undelivered years later.
Other demands include the establishment of a Community Budget Committee in accordance with the Local Authorities Act, immediate appointment of the Build Together Housing and Land Community Committee, return of all 250 serviced Mass Housing plots to the council for public allocation, and fast-tracked upgrading and maintenance of the town’s infrastructure.
Response
Responding to the plights, Sankwasa, who accepted the petition, assured the delegation that the concerns raised will be examined thoroughly.
“I will study the petition in detail and take informed decisions. These issues are serious and deserve the necessary attention,” the minister said.
On the day, Sankwasa also directed the council to reinstate seven employees who had been on suspension for over two years.
“The minister of Urban and Rural Development, Honourable James Sankwasa, accompanied by Omaheke regional governor Pijoo Nganate, engaged councillors and strategic executives of the Gobabis Municipality and concluded that there were no grounds for the suspension of seven municipal employees for over two years and that the disciplinary action taken against them was also procedurally flawed and is thus quashed,” reads a statement from the municipality’s social media platforms.
The councillors, affected employees, and executives were also ordered to smoke the peace pipe and shift their focus to delivering the strategic objectives for which the municipality exists.
“The minister said an investigation will be instituted to determine whether individuals can be held accountable for the financial losses caused by their actions,” it further read.
Sankwasa also took issue with the over N$13.1 million that the municipality returned to Treasury.
Of this, N$12.7 million was meant for capital projects, while N$3.4 million was supposed to be used for road maintenance.
Issues around the legality of a 4% salary increment were also brought to Sankwasa’s attention.