Booys in firing line
Okahandja residents say regional councillor Steve 'Biko' Booys is to blame for a lack of development at the town, while he says he will not entertain “idle politics being played by businessmen”.
About 100 disgruntled Okahandja residents gathered outside the constituency offices at the town on Friday morning to call for the immediate removal of regional councillor Steve 'Biko' Booys.
According to the group of residents, who say they have no particular name or affiliation except their love for their town, Booys “has been identified as the mastermind behind a group of residents with an agenda to destabilise the town”.
They have given President Hage Geingob 72 hours to intervene and remove him or they will do it themselves. Led by the “chairperson of the petition', Wilfried Goaseb, and Basie Tjikune as vice-chair, the protestors accused Booys of delivering empty promises, adding they need new clinics in various settlements along with police stations.
They say “people have settled illegally in illegal areas and crime flourishes” there.
“What did Biko do for you in the past ten years?” Tjikune wanted to know from the crowd.
Booys, who had come out of the offices but was told that he would not be addressed by the protestors, took the media inside for a brief interview.
When asked what his view of the protest was he said, “I don't know. I am a servant of the people.”
As regional councillor, he explained that his mandate was to “provide direction”. He said that “if the community is calling for my removal, it might be justified” adding that “no one ever approached my office to consult with me” regarding the community's discontent.
“Whoever is instigating this must have their priorities misplaced,” he said.
Elaborating on his successes he told the media that “people only make noise when they see progress”. He said schools, both primary and high, have been expanded and hostels have been renovated, along with a school hall. He did not provide any further information on these projects saying only that the Okahandja clinic was “reconstructed” and the hospital “expanded”.
He blamed budget cuts for the fact that Vyfrandkamp and Veddersdal do not have their own clinics.
“Okahandja has grown,” he said. His office, he explained, was directly involved in getting AB InDev to the town, and he also took credit for the development of Okahandja's strip-mall.
“What do they expect me to do? I have represented Okahandja.”
According to Booys, 100 people out of the 35 000 residents of Okahandja do not represent a legitimate voice.
“They have the freedom to raise their concerns but I would be careful to call it a legitimate voice.”
He continued by inferring that there are factors that are instigating these actions, adding it has to do with tenders and the interests those people carry.
“I would not want to say this march is because of that. If they want figures I will provide these and if their concerns are legitimate, I may even say I have failed and will step down.”
He denied that he has been the target of protests for the last few years, saying the issues are different. As a regional councillor, he said he is subject to the local authority and its relevant legislation.
He said it is not his mandate to provide residents with land, municipal services and the like, but said he “is grateful that the community is here to address fundamental issues”.
'Barking up the wrong tree'
“They are barking up the wrong tree, but you will receive no excuses from me. I will provide clear direction. However, this will be for programmes that are to be implemented, not idle politics played by businessmen.”
The residents accuse Booys of creating the pressure group, Okahandja Concern Group, and said that when the town councillors were supposed to be sworn in on 20 December last year, Booys supported this group under the leadership Kathleen Uri-Khos “instead of being non-partisan and hearing the concerns of the different groups”.
They blame him directly for the conflict regarding the swearing-in of the councillors, which to date, persists.
They also accuse him of delivering the sand in the Swakop River to the Chinese instead of allowing the community to benefit from sand mining and add that the Swakoppoort and Von Bach dams could be better used for the benefit of the community, including for aquaculture and irrigation.
On 9 November last year at a public meeting, they demanded a progress report on the past eight years and asked for a summary of capital projects in Vyfrandkamp, Veddersdal, Oshetu 1-3 and Nau-Aib. To date, they say they have received nothing.
They say Booys is directly responsible for the divisions among the town council members, who have still not been sworn in, along with a new mayor for Okahandja.
This is not the first time Booys has had a run-in with Okahandja residents. In February 2015, residents held a protest march saying they could not endure another five years of his “empty promises”, adding that Booys must do what he promised “or go”.
At the time, the group handed over a petition to the Swapo district and constituency council offices.
A few days later, also in 2015, the then regional and local government minister Charles Namoloh reportedly seconded an official from his ministry to act as CEO following a reported battle between Booys and then mayor Valerie Aron.
YANNA SMITH
According to the group of residents, who say they have no particular name or affiliation except their love for their town, Booys “has been identified as the mastermind behind a group of residents with an agenda to destabilise the town”.
They have given President Hage Geingob 72 hours to intervene and remove him or they will do it themselves. Led by the “chairperson of the petition', Wilfried Goaseb, and Basie Tjikune as vice-chair, the protestors accused Booys of delivering empty promises, adding they need new clinics in various settlements along with police stations.
They say “people have settled illegally in illegal areas and crime flourishes” there.
“What did Biko do for you in the past ten years?” Tjikune wanted to know from the crowd.
Booys, who had come out of the offices but was told that he would not be addressed by the protestors, took the media inside for a brief interview.
When asked what his view of the protest was he said, “I don't know. I am a servant of the people.”
As regional councillor, he explained that his mandate was to “provide direction”. He said that “if the community is calling for my removal, it might be justified” adding that “no one ever approached my office to consult with me” regarding the community's discontent.
“Whoever is instigating this must have their priorities misplaced,” he said.
Elaborating on his successes he told the media that “people only make noise when they see progress”. He said schools, both primary and high, have been expanded and hostels have been renovated, along with a school hall. He did not provide any further information on these projects saying only that the Okahandja clinic was “reconstructed” and the hospital “expanded”.
He blamed budget cuts for the fact that Vyfrandkamp and Veddersdal do not have their own clinics.
“Okahandja has grown,” he said. His office, he explained, was directly involved in getting AB InDev to the town, and he also took credit for the development of Okahandja's strip-mall.
“What do they expect me to do? I have represented Okahandja.”
According to Booys, 100 people out of the 35 000 residents of Okahandja do not represent a legitimate voice.
“They have the freedom to raise their concerns but I would be careful to call it a legitimate voice.”
He continued by inferring that there are factors that are instigating these actions, adding it has to do with tenders and the interests those people carry.
“I would not want to say this march is because of that. If they want figures I will provide these and if their concerns are legitimate, I may even say I have failed and will step down.”
He denied that he has been the target of protests for the last few years, saying the issues are different. As a regional councillor, he said he is subject to the local authority and its relevant legislation.
He said it is not his mandate to provide residents with land, municipal services and the like, but said he “is grateful that the community is here to address fundamental issues”.
'Barking up the wrong tree'
“They are barking up the wrong tree, but you will receive no excuses from me. I will provide clear direction. However, this will be for programmes that are to be implemented, not idle politics played by businessmen.”
The residents accuse Booys of creating the pressure group, Okahandja Concern Group, and said that when the town councillors were supposed to be sworn in on 20 December last year, Booys supported this group under the leadership Kathleen Uri-Khos “instead of being non-partisan and hearing the concerns of the different groups”.
They blame him directly for the conflict regarding the swearing-in of the councillors, which to date, persists.
They also accuse him of delivering the sand in the Swakop River to the Chinese instead of allowing the community to benefit from sand mining and add that the Swakoppoort and Von Bach dams could be better used for the benefit of the community, including for aquaculture and irrigation.
On 9 November last year at a public meeting, they demanded a progress report on the past eight years and asked for a summary of capital projects in Vyfrandkamp, Veddersdal, Oshetu 1-3 and Nau-Aib. To date, they say they have received nothing.
They say Booys is directly responsible for the divisions among the town council members, who have still not been sworn in, along with a new mayor for Okahandja.
This is not the first time Booys has had a run-in with Okahandja residents. In February 2015, residents held a protest march saying they could not endure another five years of his “empty promises”, adding that Booys must do what he promised “or go”.
At the time, the group handed over a petition to the Swapo district and constituency council offices.
A few days later, also in 2015, the then regional and local government minister Charles Namoloh reportedly seconded an official from his ministry to act as CEO following a reported battle between Booys and then mayor Valerie Aron.
YANNA SMITH
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