Deputy Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Natalia /Goagoses, has lashed out against regional and local authority councils for what she described continuous maladministration fuelled by political and individual aspirations and interests.
This, she said, has resulted in the public having lost trust and faith in local authority councils uplifting their livelihoods, through sustainable community development.
/Goagoses was speaking at an information sharing session on the appointment and suspensions of chief regional officers (CROs) and chief executive officers (CEOs) of local authorities’ councils here Monday, saying local authorities are administered on corruption, nepotism, tribalism and racism which hinders the duty and responsibility that ensures efficient service delivery to respective communities.
“The public is complaining to the minister about their applications to acquire land that have been sitting with local authorities for seven years. These applications do not even see the light at the table of the council because administrators are sitting on these applications with no audacity to give the applications for consideration because they have got their own interest,” she said.
The minister further stressed that regional and local authorities are coupled with unprofessional work conduct, noting that the current prevailing and reported cases of stalled, delayed and unprocedural appointments, suspensions and ending of contracts of CROs and CEOs are problematic to the core mandate of addressing the aspirations of the citizenry.
She equally fumed that most local authorities have poor financial management reports annually, lack of teamwork and infights between politicians and administrators and unclear distinctions and upholding of roles or aspirations of individuals over the needs of the public and administrators colluding with councillors acting as politicians.
Employment issues pertaining to the accounting officers of subnational governments should be done with relevant legislation such the Regional Council Authority Act of 1992 and Local Authority Act of 1992, she said.
“The ministry scored 20 per cent in the performance index report due to this maladministration of local authorities. We have to do better as people who took oath to provide efficient and quality service to the electorates. Regional and local government is a critical level of governance of Namibia which is closest to the citizenry and whose actions have an immediate impact, negative or positive on the lives of our people,” she said.