Gobabis Mayor speaks development

By Confidente Reporter

THE Gobabis Municipality has temporarily relocated illegal land grabbers to a reception area with provision of water and has allocated 1 088 plots to its residents, Gobabis Mayor Liberius Kalili has revealed.

In an exclusive interview with Confidente, Kalili points out some of the council’s major achievements.

In May this year, Gobabis municipality prevented illegal land grabbers from putting up structures in an area which is in the process of being formalised as a pilot project of the Ministry of Land Reform to implement the flexible land tenure system, what is the current status of the project?

The Municipality of Gobabis relocated the people who illegally occupied land to a reception area where there is provision of water until a permanent area is found for them.

The area that is in a process of being formalised as a pilot project to implement the flexible land tenure system of the Ministry of Land Reform known as Freedom Square is a huge success.  The area which was upgraded through the partnership of Gobabis Municipality, Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Shack Dwellers Federation and Namibia Housing Action Group resulted in the allocation of 1 088 erven to residents of that area.

The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development allocated over N$ 10 million to install sewer and water to those households through community training and participation compared over 1 000 people having had to share three communal water stand pipes.

The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development recently also donated 17 houses that are currently under construction and 245 households have been connected with pre-paid water metres and the area includes sewer and water which makes it easier for households to acquire toilets.  One hundred and fifty residents of Freedom Square have ownership certificates but the process was slowed down by the state of emergency due to the pandemic.

How is the council making sure that land is distributed fairly and accurately?The Municipality recently advertised 53 residential erven to first time buyers residing in Gobabis.   The Municipality further set aside 200 residential erven for the China aided housing project of the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development and a further 30 erven for the Build Together Programme and council further intends to construct 10 houses under the Mapange Housing Project.

All objectives initiated by council to improve service delivery in town are in the Municipality of Gobabis Strategic Plan 2019 / 2020 to 2023 / 2024, with the following in mind :-

3.1 A responsive service deliveries system to our esteemed communities.

3.2 The financial position of council as it relates to fiduciary duties.

3.3 Liaison and cooperation with the business community to stimulate economic growth.

3.4 A tailor-made investment that drives and develop appropriate marketing initiatives.

3.5 Changing institutional operation, culture and

competency restructuring to meet increasing demands.

What are some of the strategies initiated to improve service delivery in the town?

The Municipality during the past years successfully eradicated the dry toilets system in the Kanaan Informal Settlement and connected about 700 informal settlement erven to water and sewer.   Kanaan ‘A Informal Settlement’ was also electrified and residents can now purchase pre-paid electricity meters.

All the main roads in Gobabis were resealed and maintained and potholes are something of the past.

The council introduces an amnesty programme where interest charged on all arrear accounts of pensioners, deceased and disabled account holders were written off and all pensioners qualified to be provided with a pre-paid water meter, free of charge.

Twenty one residential erven in Nossobville were fully serviced and the area east of Ongulumbashe saw 114 erven being serviced with water reticulation system and sewer.

The Municipality also constructed a new fire brigade building manned by a full time firefighter.

What are some of the major challenges faced by the council and the town in general?

The main challenge faced by the town is the high rate of urbanisation in Gobabis being the major centre in Omaheke. People from surrounding commercial farms are dumped in Gobabis and are not able to pay for Municipal services and collection of revenue in general has also been a challenge.

Illegal land grabbing and informal settlers who are selling their allocated land to other individuals have also been a headache for the Municipality.   Non-cooperation of residents with regard to developmental programmes of council, for example the programme of formalisation of informal settlements, is a big challenge.

Any additional information?

I would like to make use of this opportunity to thank the community of Gobabis, the Municipal staff and all stakeholders for the good cooperation during our tenure and wish the incoming council good luck in the very challenging task they face.