Africa-Press – Namibia. The Tsumeb Municipality is owed a cumulative N$200 million by the town’s residents and institutions.
In the face of daunting challenges, the local authority is maching forward in its quest to deliver much-needed services.
This is according to the town’s mayor, Mathews Angula, who outlined what he described as “proud milestones” achieved under his leadership while also calling for more support from central government to address ongoing problems.
Asked about complaints that the municipality is no longer focused on delivering basic services, the mayor pointed to the town’s financial struggles.
“The residents and these institutions owe close to N$200 million. If you give me that N$200 million, we would address so many challenges,” he said.
He stressed that local authorities depend on residents to pay for services so they can maintain infrastructure.
“Yet the majority of our community are unemployed. So, the milk and honey that people are yearning for is not possible in this modern time.”
The mayor urged residents and stakeholders to work with the municipality.
“As a leader, we are doing something. We inherited challenges, but we are moving forward,” he said.
He made the remarks in an interview as part of New Era’s pre-election initiative, Angula highlighted several key projects that have brought much-needed development to the northern town.
“One thing I can be proud of as a citizen of this town is the upgrading of the road to Namutoni and the one linking the historical TCL compound. That road was completely dusty. As we are speaking now, that road was constructed to a bitumen standard,” he said.
In addition, the municipality has invested in a new water treatment plant aimed at solving the long-standing issue of poor water quality.
“That treatment plant is going to solve so many problems. It cost almost N$40 million. As we speak, that particular plant has been completed,” said the mayor.
Other achievements include ongoing work to formalise informal settlements, particularly in the Edombo area, and providing plots to people without homes.
“We are currently servicing an extension. We are optimistic that in a few months, that project will be completed,” he said.
The municipality is also laying interlocks on some roads to reduce dust in residential areas. “People have been consuming dust on a daily basis,” he said. “By the end of July, those roads will be completed.”
The mayor emphasised that giving people proper plots and formal ownership of land will improve their dignity.
“When you have ownership of something, at least your life is more dignified.”
Challenges
Despite the progress, Tsumeb still faces serious issues, mainly due to rural-urban migration and a struggling economy.
“Tsumeb is the first town people reach when migrating from the north. Unfortunately, we do not have enough serviced land to accommodate all due to financial constraints,” he said.
Servicing land in Tsumeb is also more expensive than in other towns.
“Tsumeb is one of the rockiest areas. Servicing a piece of land here might cost triple what it costs in say, Oshakati,” he juxtaposed.
The shortage of affordable housing remains a pressing issue. The mayor expressed disappointment that the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) has not built new homes in years.
“The only housing they built here was Dandee houses. Their footprint in Tsumeb is not really visible any longer.”
Another major concern is the high unemployment rate, currently estimated at 40%. The mayor attributed this to the town’s dependency on the mining sector, where operations have slowed due to low commodity prices and mine closures.
“We have two deep mines that are under maintenance and a third one that recently had retrenchments,” he said. “Those retrenchments have drastically affected the unemployment rate.”
Despite the difficulties, the mayor is hopeful. He mentioned the development of a biomass power plant by NamPower as a project that could create jobs.
“It’s the first of its kind in the country. We are hoping that maybe in three years’ time, the plant will be completed,” he said.
He also welcomed signs that some of the old mines could be reopened if copper prices improve.
“If that happens, our young people who are sitting at home might have opportunities to go and work,” he said.
Tourism is also picking up after the Covid-19 pandemic. “We have seen many tourists passing through on their way to Etosha National Park. We want them to stop, sleep here, and explore our town.”
The mayor made a clear call for central government to include Tsumeb in its promised informal settlement upgrading fund.
“We understand the government made a commitment of half-a-billion dollars to formalise the informal sector. But we do not know if Tsumeb was included.”
He also raised concerns over poor sanitation in some public spaces, particularly at market areas.
“There are ablution facilities, but some people do not want to pay the small fee for them. It’s a mindset that we need to change.”
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