Otjozondjupa governor James Uerikua says logistics are underway to take the Kalkfeld settlement back to its former glory.
He was speaking in an interview with New Era on Friday at Otjiwarongo in the Otjozondjupa region.
Kalkfeld is situated about 70 kilometres south of Otjiwarongo, and was proclaimed a village in 1991. It was, however, downgraded to a settlement in 1996 due to a lack of economic activities and development.
Uerikua indicated that the regional leaders held a consultative meeting with the community last week to discuss the future of the area, and consensus was reached to resolve it.
“What we did is that we went back to the drawing board, and the aim is to bring it back to its former glory and eventually also to upgrade it there, going forward. We have consulted the community, and they will prioritise that area,” he stated.
The key focus areas that will be prioritised are roads infrastructure, providing land in terms of housing, and also reactivating business activities there.
“We have a lot going in transit to the coast and inland. So, this is the opportunity that can be enhanced to make sure that everything that is moving out must be able to attract tourists and activate the economic growth of the settlement,” he enthused.
They are thus putting in a lot of effort to grow it to become a futuristic town by commissioning a settlement development committee which will be driving the activities of the settlement.
“In addition, we also have the sewage system, where the sewer ponds there were not fenced off and unfortunately resulted in the loss of life of one young girl in August. However, the regional councillor swiftly moved in, and a contractor has now been appointed to fence off the sewage pond so that eventually that danger can be a thing of the past,” he explained.
He commended the Shack Dwellers’ Federation of Namibia for having put up a lot of houses, adding that plans are underway to construct more houses in the area.
The youthful governor further emphasised that once the settlement is upgraded, it will create employment opportunities for locals, with a plan to stimulate economic development.
Building… Otjozondjupa governor James Uerikua wants to restore Kalkfeld to its former glory. Photo: Contributed