AS the end of 2005 draws nearer, it’s just befitting that I in my capacity as the Mayor of Windhoek, the capital City of Namibia and seat of National Government, on behalf of the Council, Management and staff of the City of Windhoek, present our seasonal greetings and express our profound appreciation for the unwavering support that we have received from the residents, corporate partners, tourists alike, throughout the year in our quest to enhance economic development as a concerted effort to improve the quality of life of our people. Firstly, I wish to reiterate the City of Windhoek’s commitment to our vision that of making the City of Windhoek a vibrant, economic and technological centre of excellence in Africa in order to improve the living standard of our people, and to be an institution within which our people can take pride. As a city, we are cognizant of the underlying philosophy of a democratic culture; which entails maximum participation by the public in the running of affairs of the City that affect them, so that each community can, as far as possible exercise its own value preferences, determine its own community values and call its elected representative to public account. I am therefore proud to say that throughout the year we involved the public in all our operational activities as we strove to face developmental challenges head on. This approach led to a sense of ownership and belonging among the residents of the City. Today the City is characterized by a vitality born of a sense of freedom and pride. As a collective team, my fellow Councillors, management team and the staff, we focused on practical policy formulation and policy implementation with our clear vision in mind. We however take cognizance of the fact that the expectations from the electorate are without limits and are not related to their ability to pay for the municipal services rendered to them. Yet, we have to maintain the existing infrastructure and standards to promote an atmosphere for investment and consequently create job opportunities, as we vowed not to backtrack on the good progress that we have made in the development of our beautiful Windhoek. The year 2005, however, was indeed a watershed for the City of Windhoek. Significant changes in strategic focus and in the operation of the City took place. The City embarked upon specific development projects with the ultimate aim of improving the quality of lives of our people. Notable among these projects was the official opening of the Sam Nujoma Stadium, the deployment of the long awaited City Police, the opening of the extension of the Robert Mugabe Avenue and the completion of the construction of the Southern Suburbs Swimming Pool in Olympia. These projects are capital projects involving millions of dollars and given the limited resources at the City’s disposal, represent evidence of our commitment to progressive development. Though many challenges remain to be addressed to maintain the unstoppable momentum of the City, the leadership forms a critical component of shaping the communities’ future. Most critical challenges facing us include the lack of distribution of national resources to cater for social welfare cases on municipal services – especially to pensioners, vulnerable and destitute residents; increasing debts against delivery of municipal services, the impact of HIV/AIDS and many others. I therefore wish to call upon national Government to consider allocating resources to welfare cases on municipal services and appeal to residents to continue paying their municipal bills in order to ensure sustainable delivery of such services. However, I would fail in my duty if I do not thank the residents of Windhoek who constitute the electorate, but at the same time also being our clients to whom the City renders services for having supported us all the way. Without your support and guidance your City would surely not have had any success. I would also like to thank our tourists and visitors who have had the chance to come and relish in the vibrant melting pot of culture and languages in this City. Observing the range of activities and policies as set out by the City, I have no doubt that the City of Windhoek justifiably has earned a label of the “City of Excellence” and will continue to even prosper at an improved rate beyond many years. I would lastly like to render my deepest appreciation to my fellow Councillors for their unwavered and uncompromising support, commitment and dedication over the past year. I wish you a Happy Christmas and Festive Season, good health and a prosperous 2006. To all those who will be travelling, please save lives by being careful.