HIV/Aids Africa

This is an extract from the mayoral message for
the festive season of 2005 by the Mayor of Windhoek, Mathew Shikongo.
“The year 2005 was indeed a watershed for the City
of Windhoek, and I, as the Mayor of Windhoek, present our seasonal greetings and
express our profound appreciation for the unwavering support we received from
all the residents and tourists throughout the year in our quest to enhance
economic development as a concerted effort to improve the quality of life of our
people”, says Mathew Shikongo.”During the year, the city embarked on specific
development projects. Notable among these was the official opening of the Sam
Nujoma Stadium, the deployment of the long-awaited City Police, the opening of
the extension of Robert Mugabe Avenue and the completion of the construction of
the Southern Suburbs Swimming Pool in Olympia. These projects are capital
projects involving millions of dollars, and, given the limited resources at the
city’s disposal, are evidence of our commitment to progressive development.” I
would fail in my duty if I do not thank those that render services for having
supported us all the way. Without your support and guidance, your city thanks
the residents of Windhoek who constitute the electorate – also the clients
without whom the city would surely not have made a success. I would also like to
thank our tourists and visitors who have had the chance to come and relish the
vibrant melting pot of culture and languages in this city.Though many
challenges remain to be addressed to maintain the unstoppable momentum of the
city, the leadership forms a critical component of shaping the communities’
future. The most critical challenges facing us include the lack of distribution
of national resources to cater for social welfare cases on municipal services –
especially to pensioners, vulnerable and destitute residents, the increasing
debts against delivery of municipal services, the impact of HIV/AIDS and many
others.”Shikongo therefore call on the national government to consider
allocating resources to welfare cases on municipal services and appeal to
residents to continue paying their municipal bills in order to ensure
sustainable delivery of such services.”Observing the range of activities and
policies as set out by the city, I have no doubt that the City of Windhoek
justifiably earned the label of the ‘City of Excellence’ and will continue to
prosper even at an improved rate for many years.??As a city, we are cognizant of
the underlying philosophy of a democratic culture; which entails maximum
participation by the public in the running of the affairs of the city that
affects them, so that each community can, as far as possible, exercise its own
value preferences, determine its own community values and call its elected
representative to public account. I am therefore proud to say that throughout
the year we involved the public in all our operational activities as we strove
to face developmental challenges head on. This approach led to a sense of
ownership and belonging among the residents of the city. Today the city is
characterized by a vitality born of a sense of freedom and pride.As a team, his
fellow councillors, the management team and the staff, the council focused on
practical policy formulation and policy implementation with a clear vision in
mind. The city, however, took cognisance of the fact that the expectations from
the electorate are without limits and are not related to their ability to pay
for the municipal services rendered to them, Shikongo said. Yet, we have to
maintain the existing infrastructure and standards to promote an atmosphere for
investment and consequently create job opportunities, as we vowed not to
back-track on the good progress that we have made in the development of our
beautiful Windhoek.I would lastly like to render my deepest appreciation to my
fellow Councillors for their un-wavering and uncompromising support, commitment
and dedication over the past year. I wish you a Happy Christmas and festive
season, good health and a prosperous 2006. To all those who will be travelling,
please save lives by being careful.