2017-01-06Staff Report 2 Windhoek The construction of the N$2.7 million Opuwo Rural Constituency office in Otuani - situated some 70 kilometers southwest of Opuwo - is expected to be completed by the end of March. Following the delimitation exercise of 2013, Opuwo Constituency was split into two: Opuwo Rural and Opuwo Urban. Some operations of Opuwo Rural, such as meetings, are currently held under a tree in Otuana, which is the capital of Opuwo Rural Constituency, said Kazeongere Tjeundo, the councillor of Opuwo Rural. He told New Era in a telephonic interview that the “state of the art office”, which is quite different from other constituency offices, will make administrative functions easier to fulfill. “It has an office and five houses for staff members. I was at the site in December and construction is already at the roof. The contractor told me that everything should be done by March,” said the councillor, who also remarked that the construction of the office is the biggest project in the constituency to date. “We were fortunate that we did not have a budget cut in that regard,” said Tjeundo. However, areas affected by budgetary cuts in Opuwo Rural include the rural sanitation project. Of the 39 rural toilets budgeted for, only 19 would be constructed this year, he said. The first beneficiaries will be the elderly and people with disabilities. “Rural sanitation is a challenge in this constituency and poses health risks,” he noted, adding that children are most vulnerable. “Children are directed affected because they do their business (urinate and defecate) wherever they find themselves. In fact the majority of the community is affected by this problem. The adults relieve themselves in the bush,” Tjeundo explained. 2017-01-06Staff Report 2
