Uis residents still waiting for answers

THE Uis community is still waiting for feedback from the Village Council on alleged irregularities and mismanagement, following two demonstrations held at the settlement recently.

More than 100 residents signed a petition that was handed to Council for the second time 10 days ago. In it residents requested a meeting with the local authorities to address their concerns.Uis Mayor, Annalise Touros, dismissed the residents’ petition, charging that it was politically motivated.She claimed that the majority of the signatories had acknowledged that they had been misled by the organisers of the demonstration.”We are still waiting for Council to respond to our petition,” one of the community activists, Cornelia Atjiwara, told The Namibian last week.She said the Concerned Group planned to write to the Erongo Governor and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Housing following a news broadcast on NBC TV last Tuesday in which the Mayor claimed the Concerned Group had accused Councillors of stealing money.”We do not know whether they did not read the petition properly or whether they did not understand the petition, but we never said they stole money.We only asked for a financial report to clarify certain issues,” said Atjiwara.She said that not one of the residents who had signed the petition had asked for their names to be removed from the list.The petition listed nine concerns residents want answers on.Apart from water problems, poor communication between Council and the community, maintenance of houses and new developments, residents want to know about the Council’s financial situation and the distribution of drought relief food.In it residents requested a meeting with the local authorities to address their concerns.Uis Mayor, Annalise Touros, dismissed the residents’ petition, charging that it was politically motivated.She claimed that the majority of the signatories had acknowledged that they had been misled by the organisers of the demonstration.”We are still waiting for Council to respond to our petition,” one of the community activists, Cornelia Atjiwara, told The Namibian last week.She said the Concerned Group planned to write to the Erongo Governor and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Housing following a news broadcast on NBC TV last Tuesday in which the Mayor claimed the Concerned Group had accused Councillors of stealing money.”We do not know whether they did not read the petition properly or whether they did not understand the petition, but we never said they stole money.We only asked for a financial report to clarify certain issues,” said Atjiwara.She said that not one of the residents who had signed the petition had asked for their names to be removed from the list.The petition listed nine concerns residents want answers on.Apart from water problems, poor communication between Council and the community, maintenance of houses and new developments, residents want to know about the Council’s financial situation and the distribution of drought relief food.