Staff Reporter
GOBABIS Municipality’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Frederick Ueitele, has assured residents that the municipality is preparing a response to the allegations raised in a recent petition by the town’s residents.
“The council will have to sit and study the petition before any feedback is given to the protesters and the community at large,” he said.
Ueitele confirmed that the council has heard the concerns raised by the protesting residents but said that, according to him, the petition contains misinformation. However, he assured the community that a thorough response will be provided soon.
This follows a protest by some residents of Gobabis, who camped outside the town’s municipal office to deliver their petition to the local authority leadership.
The residents’ petition demands the immediate suspension of the municipality’s Chief Executive Officer, Sophia Eises, the immediate removal of the town’s mayor, Melba Tjozongoro, and the dismissal of councillors Sylvester Binga and Elwin Gariseb from the council.
Additionally, the petition calls for the immediate suspension of all allegedly corrupt staff members, the urgent appointment of an electrical consultant to ensure the implementation of prepaid electricity meters before 1 November 2024, the cancellation of the allegedly unlawful allocation of Farm Nuwe Hoop, and an update on the N$480,000 collected from community members for the upgrading of the town’s informal settlements.
The petition further demands the immediate appointment of a community budget committee and the Building Together Housing and Land Community committee, the return of the 250 mass housing service plots to the council, an action plan for Road Fund Administration and capital project funds, and the immediate upgrading and maintenance of the town’s infrastructure. It also calls for an open-door policy between the Chief Executive Officer, the council, and the community.
Veronia Kuzeeko, a Gobabis community activist, said that the residents will wait for the council’s response to their petition until 9 September. If no response is received by then, she threatened, the residents intend to protest again.
