Windhoek councillor and former Windhoek mayor Fransina Kahungu says the provision of basic services in the capital is expected to go smoother without a coalition in place.
The Windhoek Municipal Council was previously run by a coalition council formed by the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), the Affirmative Repositioning (AR), the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) and the National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo) in 2020.
The Landless People’s Movement (LPM) later joined the coalition, replacing the AR following political disagreements.
However, analysts says the Windhoek council coalition was a failed experiment.
“A coalition was not made easily without a push-and-pull system. It was not easy to come to an agreement as people from different parties had to agree to ideas,” Kahungu says.
She says coalition arrangements often delay decisions, because members prioritise party identity over collective progress.
Kahungu welcomes the majority-led council, saying it would ease decision-making.
Former Windhoek mayor Ndeshihafela Larandja says a coalition never works in Africa as leaders prioritise power over service delivery. “We do not believe in capacity or working together in unison, but in having power. That alone already tells you that coalitions are trial and error, but something that never works in African countries,” she says.
Larandja says service delivery is not determined by being in a coalition or being a party with an outright majority, but is rather based on government systems in place.
“The determinant of service delivery is the financial position of an institution or local authority,” she says.
Larandja says during her tenure, the council was in a coalition, but the focus was on service delivery, adding that there was no time any political party stood against service delivery. Political analyst Ricky Simasiku agrees that a majority-led council could speed up decision-making.
He says fewer political disagreements would enable the quick adoption of budgets, bills and resolutions. “Service delivery can be faster because there will be no disagreements in the local authority administration. Bills, decisions and budgets may be easily adopted, unlike in a coalition,” he says.
Meanwhile, newly nominated Windhoek mayor Sakarias Uunona says his key priority will be the formalisation of informal settlements.
Speaking to The Namibian on Saturday, Uunona said the idea stems from his observation of how the interior of many shacks is structured in a similar way to brick houses. “My idea is for residents to have proper housing. People are in shacks because they are on unserviced land and do not qualify for housing loans,” he said.
Uunona said he plans to deploy officials to demarcate land at informal settlements and allocate a portion of serviced land to enable them to build at their own pace.
He also listed road infrastructure maintenance as one his priorities, saying the quality of repair work must be urgently addressed.
“In most cases, the same spot becomes a pothole again after the rain. The city must review how local contractors are delivering services,” he said.
