Official Statement by Mayor Ndeshihafela Larandja at the November Ordinary Council Meeting

Windhoek | 24 November 2025

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Good evening.

As we meet for the final ordinary council meeting of 2025, I am filled with gratitude for the collective journey we have travelled this year. It has been one marked by steady progress, deepened partnerships and a renewed commitment to placing our residents at the centre of service delivery. This moment gives us the opportunity not only to reflect on what we have accomplished, but also to acknowledge the spirit of resilience that carried us through challenges and positioned the next council for a stronger 2026.

Throughout the year, our city demonstrated that governance is most effective when it listens, responds and collaborates. From engagements in our constituencies to international partnerships, from clean-up campaigns to youth empowerment initiatives, every effort reaffirmed the same principle: Windhoek moves forward when its people move forward with it.

Residents shared their concerns on safety, land, service delivery, mobility and community facilities, reminding us that development must always begin with the lived experiences of our people. Their voices strengthened our conviction to govern with empathy, accountability and discipline.

The results of this approach were visible across the city. Informal settlements saw expanded electrification, new sanitation hubs, additional water points and the continued mapping and numbering of structures to unlock access to services.

Our mobility agenda gained momentum, from the Urban Mobility Conference to improvements in road infrastructure.

International cooperation brought fresh energy – twinning agreements, diplomatic engagements and technical exchanges helped advance our smart city ambitions, climate resilience efforts and youth development programmes.

At the heart of these partnerships was always the simple logic that when cities learn from one another, they grow stronger together.

Our compassion as a city shone equally bright. Through the Windhoek Residents Mayoral Trust and the continued dedication of community partners, we supported families affected by fire, vulnerable pupils, the elderly, and households in crisis. These gestures proved again that a caring city is not defined by its infrastructure alone, but by the dignity it extends to its people.

As the year draws to a close, our most recent engagements remind us how far we have come and how much promise lies ahead. On 12 November 2025, the Schools Recycling Competition showcased the brilliance of Windhoek’s young environmental champions. Seventy-two schools participated under the European Union-funded ‘Improving Solid Waste Management’ project with our sister city, Bremen. Their creativity, which transformed waste into fashion, art and functional innovations, demonstrated that our children are not only the future of sustainability, but powerful agents of change today.

Havana Primary School’s clean sweep, winning first place in all three categories, filled us with pride and hope.

Their achievements, together with the ongoing Waste Buy-Back Centre Challenge and the construction of our second Buy-Back Centre in Okuryangava, reaffirm our commitment to a zero-waste-to-landfill future.

Just two days later, on 14 November 2025, we witnessed another milestone of community upliftment as 58 houses were handed over to new owners in Otjomuise Extension 10. The Mass Housing Development Programme regained momentum through the efforts of the City of Windhoek, the National Housing Enterprise and the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development. The municipality’s role in completing essential services ensured that these homes were not only built, but ready for dignified occupation.

As councillor Sade Gawanas, who represented the council during the event, emphasised in her remarks: the handover symbolised perseverance, partnership and our shared duty to deliver safe housing to our people, which is proof that transformative development happens when institutions pull in the same direction.

Dear residents,

Looking ahead, the council is delighted to announce the hosting of the annual Christmas market to take place on 5 and 6 December 2025 under the theme: ‘Christmas Basket – A Time of Giving’. The Christmas market will coincide with the annual switching on of the Christmas lights on 5 December 2025.

The hosting of the Christmas market aligns with the council’s strategic theme of social progression, economic advancement and infrastructure development, ensuring that the city is productive and inclusive through socio-economic opportunities for all. 

The council therefore invites all residents and visitors to the heart of the city, the central business district and Zoo Park, to join the festivities.

We are also preparing to close the year in unity and celebration. The city has officially launched a call for local performing artists and food and bar vendors to participate in the 2026 New Year celebration, taking place on 31 December at the Independence Avenue parking lot. This event is an invitation for the creative energy of our residents to take centre stage as we usher in a new year together – vibrant, inclusive and proudly Windhoek. It reflects our belief that the city belongs to its people, and its celebrations should uplift local talent and local enterprise.

These final engagements of the year blend seamlessly with the broader work we have undertaken throughout 2025. They illustrate that progress does not happen in isolation. It is the product of countless hands, partnerships and communities choosing hope over despair, action over hesitation and unity over indifference.

Every initiative, whether a garden planted, a street renamed, a clean-up campaign launched or a family supported, has contributed to building a city defined not only by ambition, but by compassion.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This meeting also carries a deeper significance. It marks not only the end of a calendar year, but the completion of the five-year term of the current council. It is a moment that invites humility and reflection.

Over these five years, amid setbacks and successes, we have grown not only as leaders, but as a collective entrusted with the hopes of the people of Windhoek. We stood together through difficult debates, heavy decisions and high expectations.

We celebrated victories that brought light, water and dignity to thousands. We strengthened the city’s financial footing, we insisted on accountability, we revived partnerships and we made service delivery not an aspiration, but a lived experience for many more residents. The legacy of this council is not written in speeches or policies alone; it is written in the neighbourhoods that are cleaner, the homes that are brighter, the young people who are empowered and the residents who feel seen and heard. Whether history remembers us in grand terms or in simple acts, it will remember that we cared, we acted and we tried, always, to serve Windhoek with honesty and purpose.

As we prepare for 2026 and for the transition that lies ahead, let us carry forward the lessons of this term: that leadership is strongest when it is participatory, that progress is most meaningful when it is inclusive, and that a city’s greatness is measured not by its buildings but by its humanity. May we continue to build a Windhoek that is cleaner, smarter, safer, greener and more dignified for all who call it home.

I thank you.

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