New Era (NE): You are not new in the political arena but a few might not be familiar with you, in a nutshell tell us a bit about yourself?
Lucia Basson (LB): Lucia Basson was born in the //Kharas Region in a small village called Wortel, 15 kilometres from Karasburg, and I grew up in Karasburg with my parents.
My father was a peasant, that time we called it railway worker and my mother was a housewife. I’m the first born of 12 children. I attended primary school in Keetmanshoop when my father was transferred there and again moved to Tses where I continued with my schooling and completed Grade 10 and because of financial constraints we were having because we were many children, my father took me out of school, but I was lucky because after that I was taken as one of the teachers in the then education system.
In 1976, there was the Soweto uprising in South Africa, which was also supported by our students here, and I was at that time part of the Nama teachers trek and that’s the time that I said goodbye to education.
In 1991, the party (SWAPO) wanted me to take over as a Women’s Council regional coordinator where I was mobilising women in all parts of the south, so if somebody says they don’t know Lucia Basson then it should be these small children born after 1990, so most of the people in the south know me.
NE: What are the major socio-economic and socio-political challenges that are facing this region?
LB: I will never separate social issues from politics. Politics is the one creating these social issues, so unemployment is there, housing problems are there, children who are not attending school and street kids are there, old people are sitting with grandchildren whose mothers are somewhere out there – causing more burdens to the old people. So, it’s a matter of joining hands to see how we can help our people.
NE: How are you going to address these challenges? In other words, have you drawn up a strategic plan on how to address these challenges?
LB: It’s too early to ask me that question because I’m now just three days in the office but, as a former special advisor to the former governor, I was having some plans already and I will also take it up with my predecessor and also see how I can consult those who have the resources in their hands to help the local people.
I understand all the companies pay tax and all that they give to the government but besides that what is coming to the immediate people of the region?
I mean look at Oranjemund – the diamonds and you look at Kosis settlement, the poorest of people you will get in Kosis as there is nothing happening there.
I was crying when I went there for the first time. Old people only depend on their pension money and the people are living there and they are increasing.
What is Namdeb doing? How can Namdeb assist? How can the fishing industry assist these people?
I want all the different community leaders to identify the root causes of poverty in their villages and towns and have it on paper so that we can sit together and see how we should address this issue, how should we bring in companies to help with this problem? How can we bring in the diamond industry to help with this issue?
So that’s why I want all leaders to come together and discuss, but one thing I don’t want is 500 people coming to a hall and say something and then depart. For me, I will tackle my issues one by one, village by village, and constituency by constituency because circumstances differ from place to place, so we should approach them differently.
NE: Some would say you have big shoes to fill looking at the impressive things the former governor Bernadus Swartbooi has done in a few years, what is your take on that?
LB: If they can tell me just what kind of things then it’s easy for me to elaborate on that, but in Swapo and the government we believe in continuation and there is nothing that my governor (Swartbooi) has started in five years and completed in five years because it’s impossible, even for me it’s impossible.
What I’m saying now has already started, even to tackle these housing issues, poverty and whatever is already on the table of the local authorities, so it’s a matter of how we should tackle it and what have they done and from there we continue.
NE: You were the special advisor to the former governor, how different will your leadership be from his or should we expect the same?
LB: It will be different a little bit, as special advisor I was more focused on the social problem while the governor focused on projects and policy implementation.
So, now I will just take the two and combine both of them and it will be easy for me because some of these have been started by my predecessor already.
NE: As governor what plan of action have you formulated to address alcoholism and absenteeism at the workplace, particularly in the public sector?
LB: Well, that’s why I told you I can’t really answer you right now because I have not consulted with the stakeholders and for me whatever I say we should have talked about it with the stakeholders.
When you speak of alcohol, there are people who deal with these, the police is there and the social workers, so after consultations with them then I can say something.
NE: There is so much controversy at Neckartal, what are your personal views on this project?
LB: The project is a very good one, the only thing that was bringing the problems was because we are two different people from two different countries and have different cultures.
I have told them (the management of Neckartal dam) that they should study the laws of the country. And, as a country coming out of the apartheid system, we are very much on our human rights. Namibian people are very fast to ask you why is it like this and not like this; why do you have decent toilets and we don’t have, why do you have shade and we don’t have?
So, I told them to listen to the shop stewards, as these are the people working with the people everyday and these are the people that are between the workers and the management and if you don’t solve the problems that’s when the national leaders come in.
So, this is a very good project and our people should be serious and as much as I want them to be remunerated very well for the job that they are doing, I also want them to perform and they should bring their side and be at work on time and do their job properly.
NE: There is also the issue of farmworkers at Aussenkehr still living in reed houses and not having proper houses and sanitation, what are your personal views on this?
LB: As I told you, I don’t want to say things that will contradict later. So, before I have consulted whoever is responsible, I’m afraid I can’t say anything on that. It’s only a few days so let me consult and will definitely find out what is in the pipeline for these people. So, let me just get the right people.
NE: What is your personal impression of the current Cabinet and the President’s appointments so far?
LB: I welcome the way the new President is doing things. He will never do things alone, so he has consulted those who need to be consulted and it’s only people on the ground who don’t know things that are talking too much.
The most important thing is that we should work in our country, not outside because the problems are here in our country. People are suffering, crying of hunger, crying for housing, crying over unemployment so it’s for all of us from the Cabinet down to the local authorities and all selected leaders to join hands and build this country.
The most important ministry I would say is the Ministry of Poverty Eradication and I will make time to talk to its minister on the way forward to tackle poverty in our region.
The state of the region address, which was brought in as one of the terms of reference for the governors, is a very good thing and I welcome it, as it’s very important and it will keep us, as leaders, on our toes.
Overall, I wish President Hage Geingob, his Cabinet and the whole administration good luck so that all of us can prosper with him and I promise from my side to do my best and work not as Lucia Basson but with my team to make a success of this region.
NE: What would you like to say to the people of your region as governor?
LB: I want my people to be vigilant, as much as we the leaders will try to get investors to our region, whenever these opportunities for employment are there our people should be serious and grab these opportunities.
I want to call upon all //Kharas Region people to join hands and make success of this region because I alone on this ship will never take me far, but if all of us are on this ship starting from now we will go across this ocean called //Kharas Region.
NE: What kind of legacy would you want to leave behind once your tenure in office comes to an end?
LB: Well, I want to leave a legacy behind where people can say it’s because of Lucia Basson that I have at least this house, it’s because of her that I have this job, it’s because of her that I have this project and it’s because of her that my son who was roaming around the streets is back at school. So, the social life of the people should be changed, even if it’s not to a 100% but that’s the legacy I want to leave behind.