Matheus Hamutenya 

KEETMANSHOOP - //Kharas Regional Council Chairperson Jan Scholtz says 2018 has been a tough year for the region and he is therefore pleased that it is finally coming to an end and he is positive the year 2019 will be better in terms of service provision.

While the economic situation in the country led to regional council’s budget to be trimmed, with capital projects stalled in many parts of the region, the council also had internal issues with divisions and infighting among management, and not to mention the Chief Regional Officer position that made headlines throughout the year. “2018 was very tough especially with the budget cuts, leaving most capital projects standing still, and we also had the CRO issue,” Scholtz said in an interview with New Era. He however said despite the economic hardships, the year has been a good lesson on how to use resources optimally and with the CRO position now officially filled on a permanent basis, he is very confident that things will get better going forward.

“It was tough but it taught us to learn how to tighten our belts, and I believe when the new CRO starts in January, we will be able to move the ship in a new direction, so we are positive that 2019 will be better and we will work together to serve our people,” he said.

The chairperson thus reminded council employees not to forget the mandate of the council and the responsibility they have to deliver services to the residents of //Kharas and urged them to come back refreshed and ready to deliver at the highest level.
Scholtz called on everyone to come on board to make things better come 2019, as he specifically called on settlements to start paying their five percent dividend to the regional council coffers, saying this will allow the council to address issues affecting communities.

 He also indicated that although it was a tough year, it also had some positives such as the revival of the twinning agreement between the council and the Northern Cape Province, the ongoing construction of the council’s regional office park at Keetmanshoop, the construction of ablution facilities at Koes, while the commissioning of the Rosh Pinah solar plant was also a highlight of the year.