A Journey of Leadership and Challenges in Local Governance
Former Lüderitz mayor Phil Balhao reflects on his time as an opposition councillor for the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) and later as mayor, describing it as a learning curve and a clash of ideologies. He emphasizes that ideological differences in developmental initiatives often caused delays in project implementation until there was sufficient buy-in from fellow councillors, administrative staff, and line ministries.
“In the beginning you did not always get their support, and things would take time. But with time I believe everybody earned their stripes and the work for the community started to pick up speed,” he says. Balhao notes that this process needed to happen quickly because people had already started looking toward Lüderitz due to developments in the oil and gas industries.
He highlights several achievements during his tenure, including servicing 250 new erven to provide housing and applying to relevant ministries for the expansion of the coastal town’s boundaries. In terms of attracting investment, Balhao believes the council did well, pointing out that a new mall and hotel are under construction. “Basically, if you drive around Lüderitz, there is construction taking place at almost every other corner,” he says.
Balhao has since left the IPC for the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) and expresses willingness to stand for election should the LPM approve once administrative issues with the Electoral Commission of Namibia are resolved.
Addressing Informal Settlements and Unemployment
Mariental mayor Cherien Kock discusses the greatest challenge her council faced: a sprawling informal settlement. She explains that residents in these areas could not receive essential services like electricity or sanitation and were often labeled “land-grabbers.” The situation worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic and extended drought, as many farm workers were retrenched and moved back to Mariental.
Kock describes efforts to formalize Takarania and Gogo’s informal settlements, providing residents with erven that include water and electricity. This initiative received significant support from current minister of urban and rural development James Sankwasa, who approved a budget of N$75 million.
“I can safely tell you that by next year, with this boost, we will not have informal settlements left at Mariental,” Kock states confidently.
Another challenge highlighted by Kock is the high unemployment rate, which led the council to not fill seven vacancies in the technical department on a permanent basis. Instead, they opted to employ residents on a revolving basis for two weeks per month, drawing from the unemployment database. Each participant earns a salary of N$3,000.
She mentions that 6,000 people have been employed through this initiative so far, filling roles such as cleaning, gardening, fencing at the graveyard, or handling any technical needs of the council.
Advice for New Local Authority Councillors
Kock is contesting the Mariental Urban constituency councillor position in the upcoming regional council elections. She advises younger incoming local authority councillors to build relationships with fellow councillors, technocrats, and the community.
“I learned things do not happen as quickly as you want them to happen so learn to have patience. You must have patience for budgets, for people, for workflow challenges. Respect the administrative staff, they’ve been there for more than 15 years and know the space you will be operating in and you will need them. Be firm when need be but also request for help,” she says.
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