Oshakadiva?
Proposal to merge northern towns sparks debate A Proposal to dissolve the Ongwediva Town Council and incorporate it into the Oshakati Town Council has sparked debate over the future of local governance in northern Namibia. In a statement shared with The Namibian yesterday, activist Tangy Tshilongo argues that Oshakati has grown into the Oshana region’s […] The post Oshakadiva? appeared first on The Namibian .
Proposal to merge northern towns sparks debate
A Proposal to dissolve the Ongwediva Town Council and incorporate it into the Oshakati Town Council has sparked debate over the future of local governance in northern Namibia.
In a statement shared with The Namibian yesterday, activist Tangy Tshilongo argues that Oshakati has grown into the Oshana region’s main commercial, administrative and economic hub, making separate local authorities increasingly unnecessary.
Tshilongo says he plans to formally submit his proposal to both councils and regional governor Hofni Iipinge.
He says placing the two neighbouring towns under a single municipal administration would improve service delivery, infrastructure planning and economic development.
“The future of our towns should be guided by efficiency, sustainable development and the well-being of all residents. Sometimes progress begins by asking difficult but necessary questions,” Tshilongo says.
Ongwediva was established under the Odendaal Plan, a 1960s South African apartheid policy of separate development that designated the settlement as a residential and educational centre for the then Owamboland.
It later became an independent town under the Local Authorities Act 1992 and attained full local authority status in July 1998.
