By Marx Itamalo /
Swapo party has managed to obtain an additional seat in the Helao Nafidi town council following the just ended Local Council and Regional Authority elections.
The elections were held last Wednesday.
Like all town councils in the north, the Helao Nafidi Town Council has seven councilors. Prior to the elections, Swapo had four councilors in the council, while the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) had two and Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) occupied the other seat.
Following the recent elections, Swapo has now five seats, while PDM and the Body of Christ Party each occupy one seat. The IPC did not obtain any seat.
Speaking to Omutumwa, newly elected Swapo councilor and former mayor Darius Shaalukeni stressed that the extra seat that Swapo obtained is testament to the trust that people of the town have in the governing party.
“It’s a clear indication that the people of Helao Nafidi still trust their party and that they want to entrust their councilors with the responsibility of developing their town,” he noted.
Shaalukeni continues to say that as a former mayor, he expected his party not to gain less than five seats in the council, given the magnitude of service delivery the council has provided to the residents in the past years.
“The residents know what we have done for them. They know that every good thing that was done to them was through Swapo because we were the majority and we will continue to wear that tag.
“We have provided electricity, water and serviced land during our tenure and we shall continue doing that for our residents in the future.”
He further added that Swapo will use its majority in the council to tackle other issues affecting residents such as sanitation and safety.
Meanwhile, Shaalukeni has expressed his happiness that the magistrates’ strike which started a fortnight ago has ended.
He stressed that if the strike did not end, it would have affected the timely swearing in of newly elected councilors.
“It’s good news that it has ended, otherwise it could have affected the swearing-in of the councilors and subsequently affected service delivery and that would be an injustice to the electorate,” he said.
Namibian magistrates of all levels went on strike a fortnight ago demanding better pay and benefits. For the past two weeks, no solution was found between the parties.
However, the magistrates’ lawyer, Florian Beukes, said that although the magistrates have ended the strike and have gone back to work, no consensus has been reached on the matter and that the negotiations will continue with justice and labour relations minister Mr Wise Immanuel.
In the photo: Helao Nafidi offices situated at Omafo settlement.
