Otjiwarongo municipality engages stakeholders
Residents owe municipality N$53 million
The engagement, according to the municipality's CEO, is to look at how the council can support post-Covid recovery and transform the way council services are delivered.
The leadership of the Otjiwarongo municipality held a stakeholder engagement on 2 March to include their contributions for inclusion in the 2022/23 budget.
The engagement, according to the municipality's CEO Moses Matyayi, is to look at how the council can support post-Covid recovery and transform the way council services are delivered to ensure they are modern, effective, efficient, and environmentally friendly.
Matyayi added that local authorities have faced significant funding cuts over recent years.
"This has been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has left the council with a large budget shortfall as well as hitting businesses and families hard," he said. He added that while the council is constrained, they will remain committed to delivering services. “We cannot exist in isolation, we need to coexist as a community,” he said.
Debts
Matyayi also urged residents to pay their debts for the council to be able to carry out its functions properly.
"The residents of Otjiwarongo owe us N$53 million and we could do a lot with the money owed to us. We are going to intensify the debt collection to ensure that residents pay their outstanding debts," he said.
Frieda Mokotjomela, a strategic executive for human resources and corporate services, said the plan is to turn Otjiwarongo into a smart city with technology at its centre.
“We are living in a global village, the world has evolved and we no longer operate in isolation, therefore, we have to adapt with all advancements that come with information technology that is currently prominent within the service delivery,” she said.
Businessman Gerd Sohrada urged the municipality to find strategic ways to create revenue, as, without government support, the council only has two streams of revenue - the sale of plots and municipal bills.
The engagement, according to the municipality's CEO Moses Matyayi, is to look at how the council can support post-Covid recovery and transform the way council services are delivered to ensure they are modern, effective, efficient, and environmentally friendly.
Matyayi added that local authorities have faced significant funding cuts over recent years.
"This has been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has left the council with a large budget shortfall as well as hitting businesses and families hard," he said. He added that while the council is constrained, they will remain committed to delivering services. “We cannot exist in isolation, we need to coexist as a community,” he said.
Debts
Matyayi also urged residents to pay their debts for the council to be able to carry out its functions properly.
"The residents of Otjiwarongo owe us N$53 million and we could do a lot with the money owed to us. We are going to intensify the debt collection to ensure that residents pay their outstanding debts," he said.
Frieda Mokotjomela, a strategic executive for human resources and corporate services, said the plan is to turn Otjiwarongo into a smart city with technology at its centre.
“We are living in a global village, the world has evolved and we no longer operate in isolation, therefore, we have to adapt with all advancements that come with information technology that is currently prominent within the service delivery,” she said.
Businessman Gerd Sohrada urged the municipality to find strategic ways to create revenue, as, without government support, the council only has two streams of revenue - the sale of plots and municipal bills.
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