Dina Namubes, who has been re-elected as Mayor of Swakopmund, emphasises the need for ongoing collaboration with all relevant parties to achieve the town’s future objectives.
The election of office-bearers was delayed last month due to a tie between Namubes and Matthias Henrichsen for the mayoral position.
Both are part of the coalition of parties in the council, with Namubes representing the IPC ticket and Henrichsen from the Swakopmund Residents Association.
The coalition, consisting of the IPC, Swakopmund Residents Association (SRA), and Landless People’s Movement (LPM), officially signed the agreement last month. Henrichsen has been re-elected to the management committee, while David Am-!Gabeb of UDF will continue as deputy mayor.
The composition of the management committee sees no major changes, with Wilfred Groenewald from SRA, Blasius Goreseb from LPM, and Petrus Shimhanda from IPC all re-elected as members.
IPC councillor Klaus Goldbeck will now serve as an ordinary councillor, while Swapo councillors Suamma Kautondokwa, Heinrich Nghidipaya, and Erkkie Shitana retain their positions.
Meanwhile, the Swakopmund Residents Association is alleging that the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) did not honour the coalition agreement and failed to transfer the mayoral position to the association.
The association, following the office-bearers election on Tuesday, posted on social media that the IPC ‘wants to cling to power and hold onto the mayoral position’.
“This leaves the SRA with a big question about the extent to which it can rely on any contractual undertakings. However, for the sake of good governance and the promise to our electorate, the SRA is still prepared to work with parties that have the same vision to ensure that the municipality is run effectively and is able to deliver on the promise to serve all residents of our beautiful town.” The statement read:
The statement further indicated that SRA and LPM will remain in control of the Swakopmund Management Committee to be part of ensuring that accountability as well as good governance in Swakopmund continue.
The association had an agreement with the IPC whereby the position of mayor would be shared between the IPC, the SRA, and the LPM over a five-year term.
The IPC has retained the mayoral position for the past three years.
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