!Hoachanas settlement withoutan administrative officer for decades – WINDHOEK OBSERVER

Hertta-Maria Amutenja

Residents of the Hoachanas settlement under the Mariental Rural Constituency in the Hardap Region say the settlement has been without a Chief Administrative officer for more than 20 years.

This is according to a report on the Outreach programme by National Council Chairperson, Lukas Sinimbo Muha.

The community members made submissions last year October during a stakeholder engagement between the residents and the leadership of the National Council consisting of Muha and the Secretary of the Council, Tousy Namiseb.

Muha and his team were in the Hardap region for an awareness campaign to educate members of the public about the work and functions of the National Council and their role in the lawmaking process.

The community members also demand that their settlement be proclaimed as a village council to enable them to administer their own affairs and improve services.

The report further states that they travel long distances to for court appearances at Derm.

A request to the government has since been made to relocate the court to the settlement as they allege, they are usually harassed by white farmers on the way to court.

In the report, Muha says the members also indicated that they were not sure who to approach between Governor Salomon April and the councillor Dencia Swartbooi, for their concerns.

“There is a lack of communication with their regional councillor, who hardly responds to calls, nor is he found at the constituency office,” he said

Earlier this year the community expressed their dissatisfaction with the settlement office over what they termed a dysfunctional office and slow development.

The residents said there are no new developments and the only business park and market in the resettlement are closed.

Swartbooi, Regional Councillor for the Mariental Rural Constituency, explained that the settlement office, which is in charge of development, had been without a substantive Control Administrative Officer for six years.

This slowed down the delivery of basic services.

“The Hardap Regional Council is responsible for the affairs of the Hoachanas settlement. What I found out recently is that the !Hoachanas settlement is not fully proclaimed as a settlement, and that is one of the things that hinders development in !Hoachanas,” she said.