Keetmans residents up in arms against Town Council

THE Keetmanshoop Town Council’s failure to boost economic development has pushed the town towards ‘economic stagnation’.

This remark was made by the Hendrik Tseib Community liaison committee chairperson, Ernest Jahs, while addressing local residents at a packed community meeting last week.Unless the council is shaken out of its complacency, the town will become a ghost town such as Kolmanskop, Jahs warned. He said the committee plans to hand over a petition to the council this week, and threatened that the community will stage a mass demonstration unless the council provides satisfactory and prompt answers on the issues in the petition within seven days. According to Jahs, the issues include the council’s alleged delaying tactics in signing an agreement with the committee, lack of youth development and small and medium enterprise support, alleged exploitation of municipal casual and permanent workers, and Build Together Programme irregularities. Saying residents are in the dark about the planned development of a multimillion- dollar shopping mall by Old Mutual, Jahs said the petition will demand that the council provide a blueprint on how SMEs and local contractors will benefit in terms of jobs. ‘We also want to see a model of the shopping complex,’ he added. The council must also provide reasons why it had chosen Old Mutual to invest in the shopping complex development, Jahs added.’Why Old Mutual? Why is the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) not featuring,’ he remarked, adding that GIPF had shown interest in developing the shopping complex. ‘The council is misleading us regarding development issues,’ Jahs fumed. According to him, the petition will also seek clarity regarding the renewal of the power deal between the council and SELCo. The 15-year-old power distribution and supply deal will expire next year. Jahs lashed out at the council for failing to benefit from the Government’s Targeted Intervention Programme for Employment and Economic Growth (Tipeeg) aimed at poverty alleviation and short-term job creation.Jahs said the petition will also be forwarded to Local Government Minister Jerry Ekandjo, Karas governor Bernadus Swartbooi and the Keetmanshoop rural and urban constituency offices.