Nathanael accepts daunting Rundu challenge
KENYA KAMBOWE
RUNDU
The new Rundu town council CEO, Olavi Nathanael, says getting the council's affairs in order will not be easy, as the local authority has been making headlines for the wrong reasons for many years.
Nathanael (32) started working as the council's accounting officer on Monday.
“I am very grateful to serve the town in which I was born. I made the decision because of my love for the town. Our task is very simple, which is to pick up the pieces and make Rundu great again,” he said.
Nathanael takes over from Romanus Haironga, whose contract expired in 2018.
For the past three years, Rundu has been without a CEO and that is said to be one of the reasons for the chaos at the town.
Water woes
Rundu owes NamWater more than N$100 million and the debt keeps rising because fewer than half of households pay for water.
The town's streets are filthy and road reserves have been turned into dumpsites.
Last Friday, urban and rural development minister Erastus Uutoni, who was in town to hand over houses, remarked on the dirty streets and said investors would not like to invest in such an environment. One of Rundu's biggest failures has been the servicing of land, which has led to illegal settling by thousands of people on council land.
The council's attempts to evict these squatters have proven futile despite having obtained court orders.
Another problem that irks residents is the lack of street maintenance, as potholes damage their vehicles.
Mayor Gabriel Kanyanga called on all stakeholders to support Nathanael in his efforts to improve service delivery.
At the same event, the appointment of Annafulgentia Kalyangu as the town's strategic executive for corporate services was announced.
[email protected]
RUNDU
The new Rundu town council CEO, Olavi Nathanael, says getting the council's affairs in order will not be easy, as the local authority has been making headlines for the wrong reasons for many years.
Nathanael (32) started working as the council's accounting officer on Monday.
“I am very grateful to serve the town in which I was born. I made the decision because of my love for the town. Our task is very simple, which is to pick up the pieces and make Rundu great again,” he said.
Nathanael takes over from Romanus Haironga, whose contract expired in 2018.
For the past three years, Rundu has been without a CEO and that is said to be one of the reasons for the chaos at the town.
Water woes
Rundu owes NamWater more than N$100 million and the debt keeps rising because fewer than half of households pay for water.
The town's streets are filthy and road reserves have been turned into dumpsites.
Last Friday, urban and rural development minister Erastus Uutoni, who was in town to hand over houses, remarked on the dirty streets and said investors would not like to invest in such an environment. One of Rundu's biggest failures has been the servicing of land, which has led to illegal settling by thousands of people on council land.
The council's attempts to evict these squatters have proven futile despite having obtained court orders.
Another problem that irks residents is the lack of street maintenance, as potholes damage their vehicles.
Mayor Gabriel Kanyanga called on all stakeholders to support Nathanael in his efforts to improve service delivery.
At the same event, the appointment of Annafulgentia Kalyangu as the town's strategic executive for corporate services was announced.
[email protected]
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