Africa-Press – Namibia. Born and raised in Katutura’s Damara location, Richard !Gaoseb says his political journey was shaped by his early education and work experience in government.
He is in his second term as Katutura East constituency councillor.
!Gaoseb humbly began his early school life at AI Steenkamp Primary School and later went to Immanuel Shifidi Senior Secondary School.
After completing high school, he later went to the Namibia College of Open Learning for two years before proceeding to work in the ministry of education, where he started his career in political science.
!Gaoseb, was first elected as a councillor in 2020, and later re-elected in 2025 to serve a second term.
He said transparency and accountability are central to his leadership.
“You must not see tribes; you must not see language. You must see human beings. Once you only see people, then you are transparent, and you can be held accountable,” !Gaoseb said.
When asked about how he would measure his success from his last terms, he said, “Your success must be rated by the community members; you can never be a referee and a player.”
Among his achievements, !Gaoseb highlighted the installation of surveillance cameras in crime-prone areas. “The crime rate at Katutura Damara bus stop area has reduced from 57% to three percent since the installation of the cameras,” he said and added that two more cameras are planned for Gameente and AI Steenkamp.
He, however, stressed that development is usually impossible without sufficient funding. “The limited funds that we receive only come from the City of Windhoek; it’s basically a drop in the ocean,” he continued.
He added that the lack of a Constituency Development Fund (CDF) remains the biggest obstacle to tackling unemployment, crime and underdevelopment in his area.
“Without resources, your hands are tied,” he said.
!Gaoseb repeatedly called for the implementation of the Constituency Development Fund Bill, which he said has been stalled since 2005.
“If you just give me three million annually, you will see a 90% difference,” he said.
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