John Muyamba
Nkurenkuru-Erastus Kandjimi recently re-elected as the political head of the town of Nkurenkuru, says despite challenges there have been some notable achievements in Nkurenkuru this year.
“We might not have accomplished and achieved all what you wanted us to do, however, I would like to say that during this year the following achievements have been realised in our town despite some challenges and budget cuts,” he stated.
Kandjimi was re-elected as mayor on 1 December and is deputised by Katrina Hamukwaya while all the other local authority councillors also retained their positions.
According to Kandjimi, the allocation of 49 mass housing houses at Nkurenkuru Extension 2 and eight houses of the 20 houses built by NHE at Nkurenkuru are some of the achievements made this year,
in addition to the provision of municipal services at Nkurenkuru Extension 2 Phase 2 with water, sewer, sewerage and roads, which are a bit delayed by the contractor but hopefully will also be completed before the end of this year.
“The construction of Nkurenkuru Vocational Training Centre Phase 1 by the Namibia Training Authority (NTA), which is underway at Nkurenkuru Extension 6 is also the latest development in our town along with the official opening of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration`s Nkurenkuru office for the Kavango West Region,” reiterated the mayor.
The hosting of the first-ever Nkurenkuru Expo, which was hailed a success, was another achievement the re-elected mayor listed.
“In the demarcation of Kahenge Reception area, which is at advanced stage, this year we allocated 81 plots (erven) to Labour Investment Holdings for the construction of affordable houses at Nkurenkuru Extension 2 and construction is expected to start early next year,” Kandjimi continued.
According to the mayor, Nkurenkuru signed its first public private partnership (PPP) agreement with two developers in October for land servicing (water, roads, sewer and electricity) at Nkurenkuru Extension 5 and Kahenge Extension 2, as approved by the Minister of Urban and Rural Development and the Office of the Attorney General.
“These developments are expected to start soon. I, therefore, would like to urge our residents, who reside in those areas to cooperate while we are sorting out the issue of compensation,” he said.
“I can also note the installation of solar power at our town council office and at our new boreholes for pumping water in town, which is at advanced stage. The town should be informed that we are in the process of appointing a contractor to electrify Nkurenkuru Extension 3 Phase 1, as the bid has already closed and we are evaluating the bids in terms of the procurement process,” he further stated.
“These are some of the tangible results of the work the mayor and his team has done during 2017. I am proud to be a member of this dedicated team and associate myself with this legacy and an impressive track record so far,” Kandjimi noted.
Kandjimi said despite all these achievements, Nkurenkuru Town Council still faces some challenges like limited funds for both capital projects, operations and compensation.