The fact that everyone has buyer’s remorse with the Windhoek City council and is fed up with the goings-on there but no one can do anything about it should concern all of us.

The lack of accountability is a top-down rot infecting every facet of governance in this country. 

There is no institution we can go to and register our dismay with local councils or request early elections.

Failed states are characterised by a continued acceptance of failure to provide basic services – often because this leads to citizens continually paying rates and taxes to a municipality that does not provide a service while also having to turn to private institutions to provide these services. 

Why we have no nonpartisan body that oversees the work of councils across the country, boggles the mind. We have to endure the shenanigans and the histrionics of the local councillors for their full term even if it is clear as daylight that they are not interested in the work of the people.

Most Namibian local authorities are poorly run, meddling in the day-to-day affairs of councils is the order of the day, and councillors seem to be more interested in siphoning allowances from councils. 

On top of that, accounts are in a mess and remain unaudited.  As councils malfunction, it is the residents who suffer. 

The way the Windhoek city councillors from all parties have conducted themselves is nothing less than disgraceful. The trappings of the job have clearly gone to the heads of the councillors, who are only in those plush positions because the people who were promised houses and safer liveable informal settlements voted for them in the hope that they would be better than the previous cohort.

The latest circus act of walking out of the election of office bearers helps no one and should see these organisations held to account for this trick at the next election. After all, that is the only time the residents can tell them how we feel about their governance.

The fact that Swapo pulled their //Kharas playbook to spoil it for the ones who beat them at the ballot box is worrying. All it says to the voter is, if we do not win, nothing will happen here. Much like the knife-wielding jealous ex-boyfriend who tells the woman: ‘if I can’t have you, no one would’.

Residents are being abused and charged for it.

In the //Kharas region, Swapo refuses to engage, meaning nothing can happen without them. They did not win but they still got enough votes to play a meaningful role in the development of the region but prefer to be that child who says if I cannot play striker, I am taking my ball and we are all going home.

The people of Windhoek need a functioning council who works towards delivering affordable services, dignified housing and safe, reliable and affordable public transport.

All we have had so far is dysfunction and kindergarten politics.

For over a year, the city mangled and scuppered its attempts to appoint a substantive CEO, who would bring much-needed strategic direction and operational function.

No one should blame Conrad Lutombi for getting cold feet and declining the offer of the CEO job at the 11th hour. No sane person would risk their reputation at such a dysfunctioning organisation.

But Windhoek is not the only local authority that leaves residents frustrated and angry.

Local authority councillors should remind themselves that they did not arrive in their seats on their own but were entrusted with the positions to deliver for residents.

It is time people and organisations who are serious about delivering and who are not just in it for the travelling and the allowances` make themselves available for office.