Otavi to rebuild cemetery wall

The Otavi Town Council plans to rebuild a collapsed cemetery boundary wall at Extension 2, which was brought down by heavy rains and strong winds last year.

Acting chief executive officer Heita Shikeenga said the project will be carried out by local builders.

Shikeenga told Namibian Sun on Monday that the remaining bricks were removed after the collapse to prevent them from being stolen, with the materials now stored by council.

“We want to use the same people that were constructing the together houses,” Shikeenga said, referring to local builders who recently completed 10 houses for the council.

The cemetery has also been affected by overgrown vegetation, with Shikeenga attributing some of the delays in cleaning the area to limited staff.

He said council relies on volunteers and temporary workers to assist with cleaning around town.

“Every month we take 10 from the volunteers. We make them temporary workers for a month,” he said.

Shikeenga said council has also included cemetery maintenance in its budget, with plans to improve the condition of the Extension 2 cemetery and two older cemeteries in Kwaip.

The Kwaip cemeteries are also overrun by vegetation, while one of the sites is nearing full capacity, he said.

Shikeenga said council is also rehabilitating roads around Otavi, including the road leading from the main route towards the Extension 2 cemetery.

Council has invested in roadwork machinery but still needs a water tanker to support its road-maintenance work.

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