Mutorwa calls for acceleration of decentralisation policy

Works and transport minister John Mutorwa says the advancement of identified settlements and villages in the north-eastern regions to the next levels of development within the framework of the government’s Decentralisation Policy must be intensified.

Mutorwa was speaking at this year’s Rundu Annual Trade Fair fundraising gala dinner, held on Friday to raise funds for the upcoming trade fair from 27 October to 4 November.

The minister, who is also the trade fair’s official patron, in his official remarks said Rundu, Katima Mulilo and Nkurenkuru are the only respective proclaimed towns in the north-eastern regions and as such, urbanisation and migration of people to these centres are worryingly very high.

Mutorwa said graduation of those identified settlements and villages to the next levels of development, within the scope of the framework of the government’s decentralisation policy, as well as the country’s rural development policy, must be strengthened.

“The most fundamental and important mandate, duty, task of local authorities, is to provide basic but very important municipal services to all the people who reside in those areas that are: under the legal political jurisdictions of such elected local authority councillors. Such important municipal services as water, electricity, land, housing, roads, streets, refuse removal and sewerage services,” said Mutorwa.

So far, these are the only proclaimed towns in the three regions, with both Kavango East and the Zambezi having one village council each, the Divundu and Bugalo village councils. As for Kavango West – Nkurenkuru remains the only urban centre. However, Kavango West has only Katwikwi that was declared as a settlement.

However, it has recently declared a few growth points in the region such Bunya, Rupara, Ncamagoro, Katjina Katji and Bunya to settlement status, with the hope of elevating Katwitwi to a village council.

Mutorwa said local authorities as administrative governance structures are created in accordance with the appropriate relevant provisions of the Namibian Constitution, first and foremost, and secondly, in accordance with the specific acts of laws passed in the National Assembly and National Council.

The government adopted the Decentralisation Policy in 1997, with the aim of giving the regional councils and the local authorities social and economic power to realise national ideas and values.

Meanwhile, the Rural Development Policy was designed and drafted in 2012, during the tenure of Jerry Ekandjo, then minister of urban and rural development, with the aim to realise a vision to attain social cohesion, stable rural economies with viable institutions, sustainable economies and universal access to social amenities, able to attract and retain skilled and knowledgeable people, equipped to contribute to growth and development in rural areas.

Rundu mayor Gabriel Kanyanga in his welcoming remarks added that the town is highly populated and being one of the fastest growing towns in Namibia, it is adding more pressure on the infrastructure as well as service delivery.

“As a result of high demand and lower services, Rundu is still experiencing high growth in informal settlements, sprawling within the town lands which further supplements pressure on the developmental plan of the town,” said Kanyanga.

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