Minister leads volunteers in clean-up

OSHIKANGO – Women Affairs and Child Welfare Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has appealed to councillors of the new Helao Nafidi town to pass a resolution that compels business owners at the town to keep their premises tidy.

Nandi-Ndaitwah made the call at the border town of Oshikango where she joined the community in a clean-up operation marking the founding day of the Pan African Women Organization (Pawo) on Saturday. She urged councillors to close down those businesses which refused to clean up their places until they did.The Minister reminded the Helao Nafidi town councillors that they faced a big challenge when it came to changing the social structure of their new town, which had been traditionally administered for years.She advised the Helao Nafidi leadership to not only please the residents, but to take tough action the residents might not like as long as it was done for the well-being and development of the town.The Minister described Helao Nafidi as a vast town.There was nothing to limit or prevent it from growing into a beautiful town or even a city like Windhoek, she said.But Nandi-Ndaitwah expressed disappointment at the poor attendance during the clean-up campaign.She attributed this to the councillors’ failure to mobilise the people of the town.”The cleaning campaign was poorly organised.You did not mobilise the people,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.Oshikango, which is now part of the new Helao Nafidi town together with Omafo, Engela, Ohangwena and Onhuno settlements, is one of the untidiest towns in Namibia, according to the Minister.Nandi-Ndaitwah, along with less than 50 people, including children from a local school, cleaned the town’s main street from 07h00 until 14h00.- NampaShe urged councillors to close down those businesses which refused to clean up their places until they did.The Minister reminded the Helao Nafidi town councillors that they faced a big challenge when it came to changing the social structure of their new town, which had been traditionally administered for years.She advised the Helao Nafidi leadership to not only please the residents, but to take tough action the residents might not like as long as it was done for the well-being and development of the town.The Minister described Helao Nafidi as a vast town.There was nothing to limit or prevent it from growing into a beautiful town or even a city like Windhoek, she said.But Nandi-Ndaitwah expressed disappointment at the poor attendance during the clean-up campaign.She attributed this to the councillors’ failure to mobilise the people of the town.”The cleaning campaign was poorly organised.You did not mobilise the people,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.Oshikango, which is now part of the new Helao Nafidi town together with Omafo, Engela, Ohangwena and Onhuno settlements, is one of the untidiest towns in Namibia, according to the Minister.Nandi-Ndaitwah, along with less than 50 people, including children from a local school, cleaned the town’s main street from 07h00 until 14h00.- Nampa