The aim of the liberation struggle in Namibia was independence, which was attained on 21 March 1990. This was met with jubilation by Namibians from all walks of life considering that what they went through at the hands of the oppressive and racist regime of South Africa and its brutal security forces had come to pass.

They were overjoyed by “milk and honey” which was promised by the new regime. Among the promises made in the manifesto and during campaigns were free basic education, free medical services, and availability of jobs to mention just a few.

But above all the issue of access to all services including water sanitation and electricity was guaranteed without discrimination of any sort. Most of the promised services have not been delivered to places where they are needed most. Unfortunately, some of the services have been politicised contrary to the spirit of nationhood. In some places, politicians have publicly told the voters to vote for them to access those essential services. Yet when these politicians take the oath of office, they commit themselves to serve the Namibian people and respect the provisions of the constitution.

Hardly before the ink of their signatures dry on the paper, these politicians embark on the political route of deliberately violating their oaths. Two of the amenities which have been politicised for some time in Sibbinda constituency are electricity and water. One has to tow the acceptable political line, to be considered for a rightful service like securing a borehole. “Water is life” so it has been said, therefore all Namibians are entitled to clean water and electricity should equally be a basic need. Sibbinda constituency has been hard hit in the two amenities of electricity and water provision for many years. The livestock farmers are currently in a quagmire pondering what would happen to their animals from July to December as this is the driest period where water is difficult to come by. Very few people in the constituency can afford to pay for the drilling of boreholes.

Many retirees use their meagre pension money to drill boreholes and ultimately find themselves having utilised their savings which was supposed to see them through the last years of their existence on Mother Earth. Some councillors from the ruling party have been using both electricity and water as campaign and political tools to try and coerce people to vote for them so that they could benefit from the rural electrification programme and borehole drilling in the constituency. The bone of contention has been that the constituency should embrace the ruling party, which the voters did for many years yet electricity and water provisions became as elusive as ever.

Currently, the constituency boasts of 14 schools which have not been wired so far, the only constituency in the whole country with the highest number in that regard. Ministers and heads of state who have graced the Sibbinda constituency during campaigns have been made aware of this dire situation and apparently forget after getting the votes. Councillors would equally campaign in the constituency and forget about the situation and only come back after five years to ask for another mandate.

Yet like many places in this country, Sibbinda played a key role in its educational historical and political affairs. Sibbinda Primary School is one of the oldest schools in the Zambezi region after being opened in August 1949, surpassed only by Lisikili, Mulumba (Mission) and Linyanti. It greatly contributed to the educational development in the region producing quite a number of intellectuals such as the former executive director of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, Lands and Forestry. At the constituency level, Sibbinda has produced politicians of repute like the current minister of gender, the former defence minister and a number of politicians. During the liberation struggle, Sibbinda constituency equally contributed its sons and daughters who sacrificed their lives for this country.

In exile, Boniface Lukato (alias Chasunda) and Boniface Kutelo never made it back home. Old man Joel Makanyisa and Albius Bayole Linanga who spent their useful years in exile came back exhausted and now lie buried in Kalume village a few metres from the Sibbinda constituency office without having accessed these amenities, and their liberation efforts have been in vain. It is a fact that the deliberate denying of these amenities in Sibbinda constituency and the village lies in the past when the voters supported the opposition, but things changed when the ruling party took control of the constituency up to the last election, yet the constituency is paying for its past political sins. It is equally surprising that new villages and schools have been wired because of political connections.

The learners and teachers at Sikosinyana Secondary and Sibbinda Combined schools struggle during their studies by using limited available electricity outlets denying them the privilege of watching educational television programmes, hence Vision 2030 is just an illusion for these children. It is imperative that the authority should address the situation in Sibbinda constituency for the benefit of the people and their animals.

Professor Makala Lilemba is a former deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Barotseland, Mongu, Zambia. He is an academician, administrator, author, diplomat, motivated leader, researcher. He holds BA, UED (University of the North now Limpopo University), MEd (University of Manchester, United Kingdom) and PhD (University of Namibia).