LÜDERITZ - The Refela chapter recently established in //Kharas Region elected Lüderitz mayor Hilaria Mukapuli as its regional commissioner, while Keetmanshoop  councillor Hilia Titus was elected vice-commissioner and   Aroab village councillor Annelien Vilander got the nod as its treasurer. 

Refela is the network of women elected officials of subnational and local governments in Africa.
Mukapuli stated it is notable since Refela was launched in Tangiers, Morocco in 2011 that it has been instrumental in supporting the development of women leadership within Africa cities and subnational governments, as well as the inclusion of the concerns of women in the definition and implementation of African cities and governments’ policies and strategies.
She stressed that one of the objectives of Refela is to provide a space for local elected women to exchange and tackle specific problems they encounter while carrying out their mission as women leaders.

Mukapuli urged her fellows to work together as women in order to resolve specific problems which might hinder their operation, subsequently effecting the development of their towns, regions and even the nation at large.
“Looking at the objectives of Refela which are to look into concerns of women in our respective areas, there is a saying that women don’t get together which I believe is not the truth as most of our challenges are mostly the same – it’s political, social and cultural,” said Mukapuli.

She urged fellow women to stand up and hear the voices of other women.
‘’Let us go and organize fellow women, to go out and know what is going in our region, country, in Africa and in the whole world,” said Mukapuli.