2018-04-04Staff Report 2 Kuzeeko Tjitemisa Windhoek After a marathon five-year period of acting as chief regional officer (CRO) of the Omaheke Region, Maria Vaendwanawa has finally been installed in the post. The position of CRO was vacant for five years since the suspension of Pederius Tjihoreko. Vaendwanawa served as the director of general services at Omaheke Regional Council for 13 years since June 2004 until her appointment as CRO and had been acting as the CRO since 2013. Introducing her to the general public yesterday, Omaheke Regional Council Chairperson Ignatius Kariseb pleaded with Vaendwanawa to ensure that the region’s strategic plan is launched. “CRO, we depend on the implementation of the regional council’s strategic plan. However, our strategic plan for the next five years is still a draft. Therefore, your first order of business must be to ensure that this plan is launched,” Kariseb said yesterday. He said he knows that the plan was submitted to the Office of the Prime Minister for their support. However, he said, no feedback has been received yet even after several follow-up letters. “But this should not stop us from implementing the plan through annual work plans and performance agreements,” he stressed. “In the absence of any feedback from the Office of the Prime Minister, we must launch the plan during the first quarter of the next financial year,” he added. He further urged staff at the regional council to pledge their support to Vaendwanawa in the execution of her mammoth duties. He said Vaendwanawa’s success depends on staff and vice versa. “We are all in one boat, called ‘Service Delivery’. If she sinks, we all sink,” he said. On her part, Vaendwanawa thanked the regional council for appointing her as its substantive chief regional officer. “I wholeheartedly appreciate the confidence and trust the council bestowed upon me to be at the helm of its administrative arm, a difficult task indeed,” she said. “I shall be at the helm of the regional council to implement the mandate of the council.” However, she said this mammoth task requires the involvement of everyone to play their part for the team to fulfil the strategic objectives and goals of the council and the region, “in particular for the benefit and welfare of the communities we shall serve”. “I strongly believe the synergy of good cooperation, good communication and the common purpose in service delivery shall improve the quality life of the people we serve as well as the external stakeholders,” she added. 2018-04-04Staff Report 2
