The newly launched Rundu Town Council Commercial Services (RTCCS) should not be driven by profit at the expense of the people it is meant to serve, prime minister Elijah Ngurare says.
In a speech delivered on his behalf by the office’s executive director, Petrus Sindimba, at the launch at Rundu on Friday, Ngurare said the company, which is wholly owned by the Rundu Town Council belongs to its residents and its success should benefit the community.
“The aim, therefore, should not just be profit. Public service delivery should always come first,” he said.
He said local authorities are facing growing demands for serviced land, housing, roads, water, sanitation and waste management, while financial resources remain limited.
Ndurare said Rundu’s position as one of Namibia’s major urban centres and an important commercial and service hub for north-eastern Namibia gives it opportunities for trade and economic linkages with neighbouring Angola and the Southern African Development Community region.
“Our responsibility is to transform these advantages into investment, businesses, jobs and improved livelihoods,” he said.
He commended Rundu for taking steps to strengthen RTCCS’s balance sheet by making land available to the subsidiary.
“This is commendable! But public assets must not merely sit on a balance sheet. They must be transformed into productive investments,” Ngurare said.
He said the land could be used for commercial developments, an industrial park, a tourism facility, an agro-processing centre or other investments capable of creating employment and generating sustainable revenue.
“The challenge to the board and management is, therefore, to convert the assets entrusted to this company into lasting economic and social value,” he said.
