Ondangwa
The mayor of Ondangwa, Paavo Amwele, has pledged the monthly sitting allowance he receives from the town council for the next two months to support the municipality to clean up the town.
He said the aim of his pledge is two-fold: to clean up the town and to create temporary employment for young people in Ondangwa.
According to Amwele, his company Huhu-City, has also reserved heavy-duty trucks for at least two days to remove refuse from various parts of the town.
“Our town is growing and so is the population, so we need to assist council to clean the town, because it does not have the manpower and machinery to keep the town clean,” Amwele said.
At present Ondangwa Town Council has only 18 casual workers to clean the town, it emerged during a media briefing at the town on Tuesday.
CEO of Ondangwa Ismael Namgongo said council has prioritised cleanliness in order to attract investors and contribute to national economic development.
“One of the major priorities of the council this year is to ensure that our town is clean. It is a big challenge that will require major efforts, huge investment in cleaning equipment and education of our residents, but it is a challenge that we as council are ready to take on,” he said.
He added that council is also determined to address the sewerage problem, which has been a major concern to the municipality and local residents for some time.
According to Namgongo, the town council is working around the clock to ensure that everyone at the town has access to sewerage reticulation lines.
At present some residents do not have access to any sewerage lines, resulting in blocked sewage lines, which then flood the town.
The successful upgrading and renovation of the sewage lines would also see the bus terminal at the town being utilised again. The bus terminal has not been functioning as intended, as it is often flooded with sewerage water from the surrounding residential areas.
“We want the bus terminal functional. We’ve met with the bus drivers and the issue of sewerage is a concern, hence we will ensure that the problem is solved,” Namgongo said.
Mayor Amwele appealed to the residents to maintain cleanliness.
“We will strive to put up rubbish bins everywhere across the town so that our town becomes completely clean,” he said.