Okalongo poll winner sees dams and lakes

Swapo’s Laurentius Makana Iipinge looks forward to turning things around in his beloved Okalongo Constituency, once he is confirmed as constituency councillor on the Omusati Regional Council. He also wants to initiate the construction of dams and lakes to store rainwater and flood water coming from Angola during the rainy season. Iipinge was provisionally announced as the winner in the regional council race for the constituency, ahead of the DTA’s Simson Haludilu Nangolo. Provisional results released by the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) this past Saturday showed that Iipinge recorded 439 votes and Nangolo 11 out of a total of 450 cast a day earlier. Iipinge said on Saturday that once in office, he will change many things in the constituency, but before any development can take place, there needs to be peace and stability. “If people are feeling proud and everybody is happy, then from there we will tackle development and challenges like electricity in the villages and the road network, so people can reach clinics, hospitals and shopping centres,” he said. He also elaborated on his grand plan for water storage. “During the rainy season and subsequent floods, the water is just passing us by, so we have to make sure that we keep the water for the animals and the people to use as well,” he said, adding that the most important challenges are lack of water, electricity and clinics. Iipinge, a local businessman, said he appreciated the support of Swapo members and the faith they had shown in him to be their councillor for the next five years. “Once again, I am very thankful to the community of Okalongo for trusting me to lead them. I am forever thankful for that.” The Omusati Region is a Swapo stronghold and no other political party has ever won a constituency in the region. The incumbent councillor, Elizabeth Mwanyangapo, who was the first woman councillor in Okalongo, decided not to stand for re-election. NAMPA