Reagan Musisanyani
Regional and local government has long been advocated because it is an essential component of the democratic process and deepening of mass participation in decision-making.
No political system is regarded as complete and democratic if it lacks a local government structure. Regional and local governments perform dual functions.
The first objective is to ensure the availability of products and services. The second objective is to include and represent citizens in determining local public needs and how to address them.
The constitution of the Republic of Namibia defines three tiers of government: national, regional, and local. The President and National Assembly members represent the entire population of Namibia. They address topics that affect the entire nation.
But communities also require other government entities that are closer to them to focus on community issues and problems. Numerous policy directives underline the importance of a strong service delivery ethic in municipal and regional administration.
These include the provisions in Section 30 of the Local Authority Act and Section 28 of the Regional Council Act, which state that local and regional governments must ensure the provision of services to local and regional communities in a sustainable manner and that these services must be provided impartially, fairly, equitably, and without bias.
Despite these laws and other legislative mandates involving a service orientation, there are numerous opinions that municipal and regional governments fall short in this regard in Namibia (Scholtz, 2021). According to Gomme (1987), “regional and local government” refers to a portion of the entire government that is managed and administered through a system that is subordinate to the authority of the central government or federal government as may be the case in other cases, but such a system is controlled by competent local persons that are independently elected from specific localities such as regions that are structured through inherent characteristics shared by their constituents.
Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to illuminate the rationale of regional and local authorities with an emphasis on service delivery and good governance, the relationship between elected and appointed officials in relation to service delivery.
The origin
According to Keulder (2010), after Namibia attained independence in 1990, the elected government intended to reorganiSe the territories, balance of power, and economic resources to redistribute resources to historically disadvantaged black rural communities.
This was to be accomplished through the implementation of local government, which was intended to bring the government closer to the people. Adopted at independence, the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia stipulated the establishment of these institutions. Article 102 of the Constitution stipulates that, for regional and local governance, Namibia shall be subdivided into regional and local divisions ruled by elected councils.
The significance
Regional and Local government is relevant for local political participation due to the public’s ability to determine and exercise authority. This implies that local citizens can participate in decision-making through the institution of regional and local government. At the local level, for instance, people are divided into constituencies, and each district elects a counsellor to represent its constituents.
Through the regional council, these councillors represent the interests of the people at the regional level. Each regional council elects three members to the national council. The interests and problems of the public at the grassroots level are then addressed to parliament via the national council, and decisions are then made.
Local government in Namibia is supported by legislation, such as the Regional Council Act, Act. 22 of 1992, which establishes regional councils for regions designated by the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia, Article 103, to provide for the election of members of the National Council by regional councils.
Local Authority Act, Act 23 of 1992, stipulates the consideration of local authority councils for local government purposes, the establishment of sub-local authority councils, and the authorities, duties, and tasks of local authority councils.
In accordance with the Regional Council Act, Act 22 of 1992, local governance is also relevant in that the regional council advises the Head of State (President) on regionally related topics.
These concerns may involve communal land, geographical challenges such as drought, and other societal requirements such as health and education.
Local government through local authorities is relevant because they are responsible for drafting and implementing by-laws such as those on the collection of income; this enables local governments to maintain a stable revenue base, which can be used to pay for the provision of services.
In terms of service delivery, the interaction between elected and appointed authorities
To get the best out of employees, it is necessary to implement effective human resources and career development procedures. This is the essence of what human capital development should accomplish: maximising the potential of the people who make up local and regional government organisations by ensuring there are sufficient career options for those who do well in terms of organisational goals.
However, too many concerns have been raised in this area, suggesting that local and regional governments in Namibia may be falling short once again. “Procedures followed when appointing staff members”, according to research, are a source of difficulty for municipalities and regional councils.
If the proper processes are not performed when hiring new staff, it is conceivable that the wrong person may be hired, which could result in poor performance. According to Madumo (2015:163), “municipal officials frequently fail to deliver because they do not anticipate being punished”. This again emphasises how difficult political and administrative meddling may be, as well as how political influence in human resources matters can hinder local and regional government’s ability to achieve their objectives.
To end, regional and local administration in Namibia are essential in light of the country’s historical characteristics, which include the concentration of services for the white minority population without concern for the black majority.
By increasing government participation at the regional and municipal levels, regional and local government could be useful in addressing the problem of the historically disadvantaged black community in this instance. People seeking public services may not be obliged to travel from their communities to the centre.
Regional and local government have been realised in Namibia through the establishment of regional councils and local authorities; however, the primary issue affecting the effectiveness of these institutions is a lack of accountable and transparent officials capable of carrying out decentralised duties and responsibilities.
In addition, the level of decentralisation in Namibia is restricted to offices and human capital, and there are insufficient finances allocated to local government organisations, leading to instances where the local government is unable to pay for some services, such as energy bills.
In order for decentralised tasks and obligations to be carried out in regional and local government institutions, it is essential that qualified and competent officials who exhibit integrity, honesty, accountability, and transparency be entrusted with these responsibilities. Such institutions should also be granted sufficient financial resources.