RUNDU – Rundu mayor Gabriel Kanyanga wants the law changed for road-user levies to be paid to local authorities instead of the Road Fund Administration (RFA).
According to him, it is the local authorities that construct roads in towns, where vehicles are registered.
It, therefore, does not make sense that the money is paid to the RFA when road users drop their complaints at local authorities’ doorsteps when roads are in poor condition.
As such, Kanyanga argued that as local authorities, “they don’t need to beg the Road Fund Administration to give them crumbs, which is only directed to use for maintenance and not for the development of new roads, and the funds are always insufficient.”
“The town also needs roads. We are receiving demands to come up with roads but the road users are directed to pay their money to Natis, and Natis hands over the money to the Road Fund Administration. And when you go to RFA as a local authority, you are given little amount to rectify the already-made road – and the new roads are not funded unless you need to scratch yourself to see where to get money,” Kanyanga said.
He was speaking during an engagement with the parliamentary standing committee on infrastructure in Rundu recently.
“Maybe this issue can be looked into. I’m happy [that] as members of parliament, you are the ones making laws, and this is a standing matter – not only for Rundu but all local authorities. It’s unfair for you to construct the roads but road users are paying somebody else, and you have to scratch yourself and find other funds to construct other new roads. When you demand to be given money, that money is directed to maintain existing roads,’’ he said.
Kanyanga then moved to complain about the bad state of Rundu’s road infrastructure.
“When you come to our town, you will find a lot of sandy roads. We are not able to upgrade those roads to gravel and the road users don’t see that the council is also in need of funds. Of course, the road users are being directed by the law to pay to Natis – and as a local authority, we are suffering in that regard,” he said.
The mayor further indicated that as a council, there are a number of roads they have identified who need urgent attention.
Their assessment indicates that the council needs about N$87 million to upgrade the town’s roads.
“We are trying to come up with a road maintenance plan and policy… these are economically active roads leading to the centre of our town. We are also looking at upgrading the Haingura Mise road from gravel to tarred or bitumen standard, which stretches from Markus Siwarongo Street to the Dr Sam Nujoma road,’’ said Rundu CEO Olavi Nathanael.
He continued: “We have done assessments in Kaisosi, Kehemu, Ndama, Sauyemwa and Kasote informal areas just to upgrade about a distance of 16 km in total and have cost it to an amount of N$23 million to N$45 million – and that is what we plan to do in the 2023/24 financial year. With funds from our collection, the national budget and from stakeholders as the year progresses, we will come up with a road infrastructure masterplan that will be our living document moving forward,” the CEO said.