Josephina Mwashindange
OMUTHIYA – The chairperson of the Oshikoto regional council, Samuel Shivute, has expressed his unhappiness over some staff members who neglect their administrative duties to engage in political activities.
He said this habit has tremendously affected productivity within the regional council. “As politicians, our aim and duty is to create a conducive environment where officials can operate and deliver quality services to the needy. However, this is turning out to be the opposite,” he stated. “Some officials are becoming politicians, leaving their work, denying the community the service they deserve. A number of circuit inspectors and principals were busy campaigning last year and, thus, this has led to the failure of the learners in Oshikoto.
Let us re-dedicate our effort to service delivery to make Oshikoto the region of choice.” Oshikoto chief regional officer Frans Enkali also cautioned officials against speaking ill of their leaders. “Our work is to provide services to the people and, therefore, let us not be the ones to spread bad things about leadership,” reiterated Enkali. The chief regional officer also warned officials who spend office hours preoccupied with political debates on social media platforms. “I am not going to be lenient on those individuals; it is these little things we do that brings great damage – let us be very careful,” he warned. In addition, officials were advised to learn to live within the means of the available resources to deliver services efficiently and effectively despite the budgetary constraints. Meanwhile, the governor of Oshikoto, Henock Kankoshi, assured officials that there is always room for improvement. He urged staff members to be visionary thinkers who are able to mentor and coach others, while in the same vein shunning ill behavior such as ethnicity and discrimination, saying such should not be tolerated at all. “Let us nurture each other towards greater height. It is equally important that staff members familiarise themselves with the Public Service Act on discipline and duties. You should also do away with the notion of ‘this is what we use to do’; the world is dynamic and it is up you to make sure you are not left behind by the positive trend,” stressed Kankoshi, adding that today’s work lays a foundation for the upcoming generations.
*Josephina Mwashindange is an information officer at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in Oshikoto Region.