EDITORIAL: City fights cowardly and insensitive
The power struggles at the City of Windhoek – in the middle of economic challenges that have left Namibia limping like a wounded buffalo – show a total lack of sensitivity and leadership.
If City fathers applied only a quarter of the energy they are spending on current squabbles, where even consensus cannot be reached on how the recruitment of the CEO should be handled, Windhoek would be the model city in Africa.
While multitudes of Windhoek residents remain on the edge of civilisation – with no land, toilets or electricity – rare resources and time are spent on personality fights.
We will not delve into the merits and demerits of this dogfight, and thus will not waste our time pointing at who is right or wrong.
Our real concern is that valuable time is being robbed of the country’s biggest local authority – to the detriment of service delivery.
This is happening at a time when Namibia, and indeed all nation states, are grappling with high costs of living, joblessness and other crises.
In times like these, we need a city council that is on tenterhooks and united in its quest to mitigate and minimise losses of livelihoods of its residents and ratepayers.
How is it acceptable that when it comes to matters of their own remuneration, councillors act at lightning speed - but when the agenda is to serve the people, there is no urgency?
If City fathers applied only a quarter of the energy they are spending on current squabbles, where even consensus cannot be reached on how the recruitment of the CEO should be handled, Windhoek would be the model city in Africa.
While multitudes of Windhoek residents remain on the edge of civilisation – with no land, toilets or electricity – rare resources and time are spent on personality fights.
We will not delve into the merits and demerits of this dogfight, and thus will not waste our time pointing at who is right or wrong.
Our real concern is that valuable time is being robbed of the country’s biggest local authority – to the detriment of service delivery.
This is happening at a time when Namibia, and indeed all nation states, are grappling with high costs of living, joblessness and other crises.
In times like these, we need a city council that is on tenterhooks and united in its quest to mitigate and minimise losses of livelihoods of its residents and ratepayers.
How is it acceptable that when it comes to matters of their own remuneration, councillors act at lightning speed - but when the agenda is to serve the people, there is no urgency?
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Namibian Sun
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