Governors, councils clash over development goals

Senior regional officials have acknowledged occasional friction between governors and regional councils over who should identify and prioritise development projects, with competing submissions in some regions leaving ministries to decide whose suggestions to follow.The tensions were openly discussed at the third national council and regional councils consultative conference in Otjiwarongo last week, where chief regional officers and a representative of a governor's office said overlapping responsibilities sometimes create uncertainty over development priorities, communication and decision-making.Khomas chief regional officer Clement Mafwila, who moderated a session on harmonising the roles of governors, regional councils and councillors, acknowledged that problems exist, even though officials were sometimes reluctant to discuss them openly.Mafwila recalled an earlier State House meeting attended by governors, regional council chairpersons and chief regional officers where participants were asked whether there were problems between the offices. Nobody voiced them, he said, despite officials discussing the issues outside formal proceedings.“While we have problems in the corridor, we are talking about that, but when we are asked, people say they don't have problems. But it's true, we do have problems,” Mafwila said.He said overlapping responsibilities were creating conflict, including what he described as “a bit of friction” between appointed governors and elected representatives.Kavango West chief regional officer Matheus Singambwe gave an example of how the governor's office and regional council could submit different priorities for the same development intervention.“In particular regions you will find the office of the honourable governor has submitted Village A to receive a borehole, and then the regional council, as they sit in the chamber, have a regional priority list which is conflicting with the list that is at the office of the honourable governor,” Singambwe said.This places the responsibility on the government ministry tasked with implementing the project, which is faced with conflicting requests.“If you are now the ED responsible for drilling this borehole, which submission do you accept, and which one do you retain back?”Different paths to the topSingambwe traced some of the difficulties to changes in Namibia's regional governance structure, particularly the transition from governors being elected from among regional councillors to the current arrangement separating the offices of governor and regional council chairperson.He said the change had perhaps not been sufficiently internalised to clearly establish the dividing line between the appointed governor and elected regional council leadership.The tension was also evident when political office-bearers visited constituencies, with some councillors uncomfortable when governors entered their constituencies without them, while some governors expected ministers and deputy ministers visiting a region to engage their offices.Erongo chief regional officer Sam Ntelamo said poorly defined or understood roles could result in duplicated priorities, conflicting signals and delays in implementing development programmes.“The priority settings become a problem,” Ntelamo said, on the question of whether the governor, regional council or constituency councillor should determine the regional agenda.He said uncertainty could extend to who recommends and approves decisions, speaks to communities and takes responsibility for implementation.Ntelamo proposed closer engagement between governors' offices and regional councils, including joint meetings and regular reviews of development within regions.Resolve regionallyBonny Kahare, representing Kavango East governor Hamunyera Hambyuka, said Article 110A provides for governors to be appointed by the president as political heads of regions and to oversee the exercise of executive government functions in their respective regions.“What is an oversight role that the governors are playing?” Kahare asked, arguing that management should not automatically be treated as oversight.He also questioned the extent to which development decisions affecting regions should originate from central government.“Why would someone sitting in Windhoek plan for Kavango East region?” he said.Kahare said regional councils had powers relating to development within their regions, yet projects could sometimes be planned in Windhoek and implemented in constituencies without first passing through constituency offices.Singambwe said the points of conflict were unlikely to disappear entirely and called on the institutions to deal with them jointly.“The conflicting points will not be removed,” he said. “What we can only do is to come together at these conflicting points so that we tackle this conflict together as a team.”Dr Sam Ntelamo. Photo: ContributedMatheus Singambwe. Photo: ContributedClement Mafwila. Photo: Contributed

Governors, councils clash over development goals

Comments

Namibian Sun 2026-10-05

Please login to leave a comment

Governors, councils clash over development goals

Comments

Namibian Sun 2026-10-05

Please login to leave a comment

Subscription Required to Access Content ×

Login

Subscription Required to Access Content