Windhoek
Katuutire Kaura, the special advisor to the Kunene governor, says that working with communities goes beyond his political affiliation.
“I discovered that when dealing with human beings, you don’t see people who belong to a certain party, and they do not see which party you belonged to,” Kaura said last week.
He was appointed as governor Angelika Muharukua’s special advisor in September last year. His appointment was deemed as politically motivated by some, something which he at the time denied, saying he was there to serve all Namibians.
In an interview with New Era last week, Kaura maintained people “don’t care which party you belong to”.
“They accept me as a human being,” said the former DTA president when asked how the people of Kunene, particularly those of Swapo, have accepted him. Opuwo is a DTA stronghold.
“I’m no longer a politician. I’m now a civil servant,” added Kaura. As a former politician and now as a “civilian”, he said serving the people of Kunene is different compared to when he was a member of parliament.
He said that working directly with people has made him realise the needs of people, while when a parliamentarian things were more “theoretical”.
For example, the drought has severely affected the people of Kunene, he noted. The region is vast, he explained, adding that driving through the various towns of the region one sees the serious effects of the drought. Khorixas and the surrounding areas are just as dry as Opuwo, he noted.
During the rainy season Khorixas received less than 70 millimetres of rain. “At Omakange going to Opuwo you might see a little bit of grass but when you are in Opuwo and the surrounding areas there is nothing,” he added.
Other than the dire drought in the region, Kaura lamented that some people have still not received drought relief food and they are finding it hard to survive.
“The drought is a dire situation as far as livestock and human beings are concerned,” he said. He also emphasised that many people, especially in rural Opuwo, depend on wells and rivers for water.