National Council member for the Berseba constituency Raymond Jossop says the N$50 million investment made into the servicing of roads, electricity, water and sewerage facilities at Aus has reached 60% completion.
Jossop says the investment into the development of services for Aus is strategic in the light of the anticipated industrial growth expected through green hydrogen, oil and gas, among others from Lüderitz and Oranjemund.
Jossop made the remarks in the National Council on Friday as he tabled the ||Kharas Regional Council report for the 2025/2026 financial year.
He says the services development projects are a beacon of hope for the ||Kharas communities where many locals struggle with a lack of services despite the region’s vast economic potential.
“The ||Kharas region stands at a decisive crossroads. On the one hand, it is increasingly positioned as a strategic contributor to Namibia’s future through green hydrogen, oil and gas, port expansion, agriculture, mining, and cross-border trade.”
“However, on the other hand, our communities continue to live with the daily realities of poverty, unemployment, infrastructure backlogs, and institutional capacity constraints. It is within this tension between promise and hardship that this report must be understood,” says Jossop.
Aus has been identified as a strategic node for development in response to several major industrial projects planned for the Lüderitz-Aus corridor with an expected substantial population increase, of approximately 7 500 new employees anticipated to settle at Aus.
Jossop says the project is being implemented in two phases with phase 1 focusing on upgrading water reticulation, constructing electrical services in the existing town area, and servicing 361 erven in Extensions 1 and 2.
Phase 2 will involve executing town planning and environmental impact assessments for 1 250 additional erven, construction of full municipal services, building a new, higher-capacity waste-water treatment plant, upgrading bulk services, and developing a new landfill site.
“These are not merely projects on paper; they are practical interventions that improve dignity, access, and opportunity. Across the region, the Council and its partners have delivered important infrastructure and service projects that are already improving lives,” says Jossop.
The National Council member notes that at Grunau, the construction of 54 manholes for the sewerage system was successfully completed and handed over – addressing a long-standing sanitation challenge and including the road upgrading works.
He says that at Ariamsvlei, water reticulation works are underway that will benefit more than 50 additional households once completed while at Noordoewer, the rehabilitation of the elevated water storage system has been completed.
“In Aussenkehr, the rehabilitation of the critical water pipeline serving the Combined School and Health Centre has also been completed, while 700 of the 1 380 serviced erven have been made available for lease.”
He also raised concerns over procurement bottlenecks, delayed payments and institutional capacity challenges, which he says affect service delivery.
Jossop calls for stronger parliamentary oversight to ensure that public funds translate into tangible benefits for communities.
“We must therefore ensure that ministries, agencies, regional councils, and local authorities are held to account for timely implementation, transparent expenditure, measurable outputs, and real benefits to communities,” says the politician.
