Africa-Press – Namibia. The City of Windhoek has made significant progress in bringing municipal services closer to Groot Aub. Lately, the City opened offices at the settlement to ease the burden of travelling for those living there. The structure is made of containers moulded into a modern
office. Public Relations Officer, Lydia Amutenya, said the City procured 11 containers, eight of which have already been delivered, while the remaining three are scheduled for delivery by the end of August.
“These containers will serve as temporary municipal offices for various departments while the construction of the permanent office is underway,” she said.
Amutenya added that the initiative would allow Groot Aub residents and nearby communities to access essential municipal services locally, reducing the need to travel long distances to Windhoek. She, however, clarified that the offices are not yet functional as service connections still need to be completed. “Once that process is finalised, the council will officially open the Groot Aub offices to the community,” she noted.
Groot Aub, located about 60 km south of Windhoek in the Khomas region, falls under the Windhoek Rural Constituency and houses the constituency office.
In September 2017, Groot Aub was incorporated into the capital, a move not well received by some residents who cited a lack of municipal services. Earlier this year, in April, the community even called for the settlement to be returned to the administrative control of the Khomas Regional Council for more efficient service delivery.
Ivan Skrywer, chairperson of the Formalisation of the Informal Settlement and Integration Committee, welcomed the milestone, saying it delivers on the council’s promise to serve the Groot Aub community from within the settlement itself.
“This will reduce the need for daily staff commutes from Windhoek, ensuring more responsive service delivery,” Skrywer said. Demetreo Ronaldus Beukes, former secretary of the Groot Aub Community Development Committee, also welcomed the move.
“This is a positive step by the City, as residents had to travel long distances to Windhoek to pay their bills and access other municipal services,” he said.
Beukes added that this was a heavy burden and a costly exercise for the community during the eight years. “We are overwhelmed and appreciate the development in our settlement. I hope more projects will start flowing to Groot Aub as well,” he said.
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