Kunene, Kavango West most transparent councils

The impoverished Kavango West and Kunene regional councils are among the best in terms of transparency and accountability, according to research launched yesterday by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).

Other top performers among regional councils include Erongo, Oshana and Oshikoto.

In terms of town councils, Oshakati, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Windhoek stood out. Researcher Kitty Mcgirr surveyed 32 regional and town councils across the country about their ability to share information and reflect accountability.

The worst performers from the relevant councils were Karasburg, Katima Mulilo, Mariental, Rundu, Outapi and Okahandja, which fell in the worst category among the towns.

The Zambezi regional council was also in this category along with the Kavango East and ||Karas regional councils.

Poor feedback

According to Mcgirr, the feedback from the councils was so poor that she couldn't come up with a ranking system, and instead councils were divided into four categories - for the best performers, those who performed above average, those who were below average and the weakest councils.

Specifically, only five of the councils approached responded to questionnaires sent by the IPPR, she said.

Furthermore, only five of the 32 councils have a website of their own, although two out of those five have not been updated for so long that they can be described as dormant.

Nine of the councils at least have their own newsletters.

"E-government services mostly do not exist, with Windhoek, Walvis Bay and Swakopmund being the exceptions," she said.

Apart from these three town councils, none of the others offer an option to pay for services or to check your account balance online, for example.

Engagement

Four of the councils have no social media presence, while another four only appear on social media in name, without any useful content on their sites. This contrasts with Windhoek, Tsumeb, Walvis Bay and the Kunene Region, which regularly post and even broadcast council meetings live - something residents “really appreciate”, the researcher said.

Community engagement in the budget process is also generally disappointing, with only a few councils sharing the agenda or record of meetings with residents via social media.

Mcgirr said development committees are not used, with the majority never being mentioned. Here, the Oshana Region is an exception.

A bleak picture is painted when it comes to financial resourcefulness, with none of the councils involved able to get an unqualified audit opinion, and all of them submitting their financial statements late to the Auditor-General's office.

Only five of the councils were able to share financial data with the IPPR, and only two, specifically Windhoek and Walvis Bay, shared their budget and summaries of it on social media. Training in terms of financial reporting is urgently needed, Mcgirr said.

Service delivery failures

The research found many failures regarding service delivery. Exceptions were in relation to Build Together programmes, flexible land tenure, urban agriculture and electrification, Mcgirr said.

Partnerships with private institutions were also rare, she added, with Swakopmund's agreement with telecommunications giant MTC being an exception.

Housing and service delivery backlogs are common, as are water interruptions, she said. Meanwhile, debt owed to NamWater is widespread.

In general, the high rate of staff turnover is also a big problem, and this contributes to councils’ widespread failure to provide feedback, she said.

Political infighting

Eight of the councils she consulted have long suffered without chief executive officers, chief financial officers or management committees, Mcgirr highlighted. Political infighting contributes significantly to this, especially in councils where the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) dominates or where Swapo councillors do not cooperate, she added.

In terms of crime, bribery and illegal land sales are the most common, with fraud, abuse of power, tender irregularities and fraudulent spending also present, the research found.

Mcgirr said there is a clear connection between transparency and accountability and economic development. She suggested that councils build an online presence and, very importantly, get their own websites up and running.

Other suggestions include audit training, involvement of residents in the budget process, improved dissemination of information and diversified revenue source development.

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