The situation was reportedly sparked by allegations of graft and corruption levelled at town councillors, and has become exacerbated in recent weeks with protests being organised and town meetings becoming heated as emotions spill over.

On the surface, the matter would seem to be between disgruntled townspeople and their local councillors, but in fact the matter is more deeply rooted in rifts within the Swapo Party.

It was for this reason that The Namibian recently called for intervention at party, rather than governmental level; and the visit by President Pohamba, who is also Vice President of Swapo, will hopefully go a long way towards resolving the issue.

A similar situation has been mirrored in other towns in Namibia, and it is vitally important, although the President will probably conduct closed meetings when he visits the town this weekend, that the advice he gives be widely publicised, both in the towns in question and Namibia as a whole, in order to nip future worrying incidents of this nature in the bud.

Both towns have been fairly crippled by the standoff.

Added to this, of course, is the fact that corruption seems to lie at the heart of the matter.

President Pohamba has been vehemently outspoken on ending graft and mismanagement, and he will now have the chance to put into practice what he has been preaching.

It needs a very firm hand indeed, in the aftermath of a speedy investigation, to deal with the issue, and if graft is proved, the culprits must quickly be brought to book, regardless of what faction they may represent, or the positions they hold, in the towns in which they live.

Corruption, we all know, breeds both inequality and discontent and these situations will be further fuelled unless they are brought under control quickly.

Party branches at towns must also start to think about the consequences when they choose people to represent residents.

When they elect councillors, they must ensure that the people concerned are, above all, scrupulously honest and people of integrity; those who want to serve, and serve honestly, in the interest of the people, not people who are intent on lining their own pockets and those of cronies.

Residents too must play their part and hold their parties accountable for the choices they make.

Unfortunately corruption has become more prolific at all levels of our society.

No one can deny its deep-rooted tentacles into all sectors and this goes from bad to worse as people see dishonest people getting richer while they get poorer and they, too, want a piece of the pie.

And so an already-bad situation deteriorates even further.

Those who elect bad officials must bear some of the responsibility, if this is indeed the case.

And rather than waiting to take issue once the damage is done, councillors and other local authority officials should be held accountable from day one.

If they don't perform or indulge in actions which are damaging to the health of their communities, they need to be brought to book.

We hope that President Pohamba will be able to bring some order through his visit to the Otjozondjupa Region, and that his actions will help to curb any corruption that has already surfaced in those towns.

Naming and shaming the culprits will also help to deter graft and mismanagement in the future.

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