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<\/p>\nOHANGWENA governor Kadiva Hamutumwa has urged regional councillors to separate politics from their official duties and focus on service delivery.<\/p>\n
She said this during an orientation workshop for constituency councillors at Eenhana yesterday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must leave politics out of work. We are here to deliver for the people. Politics has its place,\u201d Hamutumwa said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut when the office of the governor, regional council or ministry is asking for something, it must be implemented as quickly as possible, because it is work and not politics,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Hamutumwa last year said the Ohangwena region has 12 constituencies suffering water scarcity, a lack of sanitation and sustainable livelihoods, exacerbated by limited resources and governance issues.<\/p>\n
Key problems involve slow development due to bureaucracy and a growing population\u2019s needs, she said.<\/p>\n
Hamutumwa yesterday said leadership, service delivery and urgency will impact the region in the next 15 years.<\/p>\n
She further called on councillors to focus on bread-and-butter issues urgently.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolitical life ends after five years, and if you haven\u2019t taken stock of what it is you\u2019ve done . . .<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question is: How did you serve and what did you deliver? That is very important,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Hamutumwa said the Ohangwena region does not operate in isolation from the rest of the country.<\/p>\n
It relies on the central government for budgets, decisions, and implementation.<\/p>\n
She said councillors should assert their influence where decisions are made to serve the region\u2019s residents.<\/p>\n
Political analyst Sakaria Johannes, however, describes the governor\u2019s remarks as theoretical and tough to achieve.<\/p>\n
He says councillors from different political parties have different ideologies and, therefore, different ways to achieve progress.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think practically that is achievable, though it is a good thing for councillors to put the national agenda first, rather than the political agenda. But politics is a game that must be won,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Former L\u00fcderitz councillor Annemari Hartzenberg says administrative politics is the \u201celephant in the room\u201d in councils.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolitics in councils is a big challenge as some staff belonging to affiliated political parties often sabotage service delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n
She advocates for councils to adopt an annual or quarterly performance management system.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, former deputy Windhoek mayor Joseph Uapingene says councillors often look out for their own interests.<\/p>\n
He advises them to remember the oath they took when sworn in to serve all citizens, regardless of party affiliation, to provide the services needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are bound to look after the interests of your party. But once sworn in, you are no longer serving your party but the nation, and that should guide you,\u201d Uapingene says.<\/p>\n
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