WINDHOEK – Rehoboth West Urban constituency councillor, Theo Diergaardt, who is also the Deputy Minister of Lands and Resettlement, talks to Albertina Nakale, New Era’s Senior Journalist, on the developmental issues and other topics of concern in his constituency. Diergaardt was elected constituency councillor in November 2004 and is serving his second term.
New Era (NE): How many people live in your constituency and what are their main needs?
Theo Diergaardt (TD): There are close to 15 000 people and their main needs are services such as erven, water, sanitation and electricity. They struggle to get houses.
NE: There is a general perception that constituency councillors only visit their constituencies during election time? How would you describe the relationship between your office and the people who elected you as their councillor?
TD: My relationship with the people who gave me the mandate is good and sound. I am always in my constituency office every Friday. I call block meetings to hear people’s concerns and problems. And if there is something urgent that residents need they often call meetings and invite me. They give me the time and venue for such meetings and I attend if I can. Our constituency office is always open and is fully staffed. My perception is that my people are always number one, they brought me where I am today. It doesn’t matter whether it is at night or Sundays, I am always available.
NE: What projects and other social infrastructures have you initiated since your election as councillor?
TD: Previously the constituency was in the hands of the opposition party, DTA. In 2004 since my election, it was the first time for a Swapo Party councillor to take over. I can tell you that up to now, plus minus N$120 million has been invested by government and private investors in Rehoboth. Our first priority was to construct a constituency office to get government services closer to the people. We managed to introduce services to Block G. We also managed to spend up to N$22 million to upgrade St Mary’s Roman Catholic Hospital. Government offices such as education, agriculture and justice were renovated. We recently finished an office for the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare under the Targeted Intervention Programme for Employment and Economic Growth (TIPEEG) programme which cost plus minus N$12 million. We also completed a fully-fledged NaTIS office which cost N$1.6 million. We also received funding of N$1.5 million from the Spanish government to service the area to build more than 500 houses in Block G. We also received N$7.7 million from the Equity Trust Fund to provide services in the Block G area. Under the micro-funding from the Hardap regional council, we received N$500 000 to fund SMEs in Rehoboth. We also completed a one kilometre tarred road in Block D for the Roads Authority which provided the funds. Currently we are busy with a shopping complex worth N$95 million and it will be completed by August 2014. It will create 120 temporary jobs.
NE: Have these projects been completed and if so, have they already been handed over to communities in your constituency?
TD: All these projects have been completed. The one yet to be completed is the provision of basic amenities in Block G. Contractors are busy on site. In fact, 99 percent of these projects have been handed over to communities. I also received N$1.5 million to build 30 houses for pensioners and people living with disabilities, which have already been completed. The people have since moved in.
NE: During the project implementation how many jobs were created? And how much did government spend on these projects?
TD: We created a lot of temporary jobs. It is during the implementation of such projects where local people get jobs and government spend about N$120 million.
NE: How have these projects benefited your constituency? In other words have these projects improved the lives of the people in your constituency?
TD: Previously there was no constituency office, but now government services are closer to the people. Even the services we put in different blocks such as water and electricity have also benefited locals. People also received Build Together loans whereby a lot of houses were build and people are now sitting in their homes.
NE: What other projects are currently in the pipeline and have funds been secured for such projects or is funding an issue in any way?
TD: There are projects under the Mass Housing Scheme. We plan to build 62 houses through National Housing Enterprise or NHE. NHE just completed the servicing of erven and the next phase is construction. We also hope to benefit 80 houses under the Mass Housing Scheme project to be implemented by the Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development. Another project in the pipeline is to provide people with free erven, in accordance with a Cabinet decision whereby 1 500 [people] will receive free erven.
NE: And what are the common problems faced by people in your constituency? And as councillor how have you intervened to resolve some of these problems?
TD: The most common problem is unemployment among the youth. People are flocking to urban areas due to unemployment with the hope to secure a job, while others leave the constituency to attend school or to go to hospitals. It puts pressure on government to provide them with housing opportunities. Most of our people are commuting daily to and from Windhoek. We try to create job opportunities for our people, especially in the construction sector. We also assist them a lot through our micro-project funding to come up with their own businesses and become self-employed.
NE: Crime is a widespread dilemma. What kind of crime is common in your constituency? And how is your office involved in tackling this scourge?
TD: Domestic violence, vandalism and theft are big concerns in Rehoboth. What we do as leaders, churches, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the Namibian Defence Force and the Namibian Police is put hands together to fight crime. We organise meetings regularly where we discuss and plan how to assist the police to curb some of these major crimes. One big problem is also alcohol abuse. There are too many shebeens in Rehoboth. Alcohol is freely available to youngsters in the area, which leads to domestic violence, theft and other social evils.
NE: Are there informal settlements in your constituency and are they also affected by shack fires, which are common throughout the country’s many informal settlements?
TD: To be honest, we don’t have too many shacks in our area, so shack fires are not that common in my constituency.
NE: Is there anything else you would like to share with the wider public?
TD: As a councillor, there are some political parties running around Rehoboth inviting people to pay N$150 and promising them that they will get erven. I want to caution the residents of Rehoboth that the only reputable institution to offer land is the Rehoboth Town Council with the blessing of the Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development through the Local Authority Act. So people must stop running to these opposition political parties and rather approach the Rehoboth Town Council on matters related to erven. These opposition parties are desperate for votes, they go around with forms and people get membership cards and they promise them erven.
By Albertina Nakale