Attend to our concerns, or we will not vote – Mankumpi Constituency
The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in the Kavango West said the residents of Mankumpi Constituency have threatened not to vote in the next elections because their concerns are never attended to despite numerous outcries.
The ministry said they made these remarks during the first regional engagement meeting convened by the Kavango West Regional Council at Mururani village on 10 October.
They said some of the concerns raised include the water crisis at Mururani and Oucordon and the lack of a clinic at Mururani, a situation that forces residents to travel 40 kilometres to Katji-na-Katji village to access health care services.
Giving the background story the Ministry said in 2019, the Ministry of Health and Social Services put up a Community-Based Antiretroviral Therapy facility in the village, however, the facility only serves as a distribution center.
“Residents now want the facility to be stocked up with medication and allocated with a nurse, so that they do not have to travel a long distance for primary health care services,” they added.
The ministry said that other concerns they raised were the lack of national documents, especially among the San community, and the issue of large tracts of land being fenced off illegally, something the youth feels hinders them from moving out of their parents and owning a place to farm on their own.
Kavango West Regional Council, Chairperson, Joseph Sikongo encouraged residents not to despair but rather be patient and keep on voicing their concerns until they are addressed.
“We have heard you, we accept it and with all the offices that are here, we are going to do everything we can. This is not the first time to come to you nor the last, whatever is going to happen, we will still come back, water is coming, just be patient,” he added.
The ministry highlighted that the administrative and political leadership of the Council, together with their delegated functions and the Office of the Governor is undertaking regional visits to all constituencies in the region to inform the inhabitants of the council’s mandate and attend to their concerns.
