Africa-Press – Namibia. Kongola residents say little has been done to develop the area since it was declared a settlement in 2008.
Kongola, with a population of 12 069, is situated 111 kilometres from Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi region, and 200 kilometres from Divundu.
Residents have donated over 1 000 hectares of their land to pave the way for development in the first phase.
Kongola-based community activist Glen Shebo yesterday told The Namibian that in 17 years they have been constantly informed of the government providing funds for development, however, they have not seen the fruits.
“Kongola could have been developed into a fully-fledged town by now. We still travel to Divundu or Katima Mulilo to acquire national documents or higher education institutions. Due to a lack of tangible development, the area is not attracting investors, and this has led to high unemployment rates among the youth,” he said.
He said the settlement needs more clinics and a health centre to cater to the growing population.
“Gender-based violence has increased, and doctors who can sign the J88 form are only at Katima Mulilo. The women end up not reporting cases as they are unable to afford high transport fees due to unemployment,” he said.
He added that it is also crucial for them to get a Natis centre and vocational training institutions, and also expand the Trans-Zambezi Highway.
“There have been too many accidents on the highway due to high traffic influx on a daily basis. We have many youth without driving licences. Mining explorations are promising in Zambezi, therefore, we need to get the necessary skills so the youth can have the trading skills,” he said.
He added that courts need to be decentralised in the area for families of accused persons to attend court hearings, as currently they are unable to due to the distance.
Kongola constituency councillor Bennety Busihu yesterday said infighting among the communities has caused delays in developing the settlement.
He, however, added that since 2020, a control administrative officer for the settlement has been appointed. During that time, he said the government has also paid out N$8.4 million in compensation to residents in the boundaries of the settlement.
“However, another N$7 million is still required to finish. We also constructed a fabricated settlement structure, and a settlement vehicle was brought to the Kongola constituency. Furthermore, infrastructure services such as water reticulation were done from Menias Libuto Police Station to the ministry of works. Lastly, two reservoirs were constructed,” he said.
Busihu added that in the next three years, they will construct the settlement office, which will cost N$ 8.5 million, as well as infrastructure services such as a sewer and road at a cost of N$28.5 million.
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