23 Nov 2017

Consultations on the partnership between Jwaneng Town Council (JTC) and Swakopmund Municipality in Namibia are already at an advanced stage.

That was said by Jwaneng mayor, Mr Obed Monkge during a full council meeting on November 22, noting that as part of the mayor’s roadmap, the council had made a request to explore twinning possibilities with their Namibian counterparts.

He said the purpose of the partnership was to exchange ideas and best practices in various areas such as tourism, post mine planning and urban planning, among others.

“Formation of strategic partnerships with other organisations is critical to our growth as we learn and get exposed to innovative ideas and an opportunity to share best practices and resources. I am pleased to inform you that the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and the Namibian Embassy have acceded to our request to explore areas of cooperation with Swakopmund Municipality,” he said.

He said since the council was working with a limited budget, the short distance between the two urban areas would help as the partnership would be sustained at a minimal cost.

For their part, the councillors said the idea was a welcome development as it would help them benchmark on their neighbours to develop the township. 

Mogale ward councillor, Mr Ronicah Ntsimako said the partnership would enhance Jwaneng’s public health reforms as Namibia is known for its cleanliness.

Even though a delegation was yet to be sent to Namibia, he said they were optimistic that the exercise would bear fruit so that Jwaneng could attract investors through its improved environmental and public health.

Ngami ward councillor, Mr Bankinyana Montsiemang concurred that facilitation of the initiative should be speed up since it was important.

“Our council is lagging behind in terms of partnerships with other organisations and I hope this could be facilitated within reasonable time,” he said.

He said the twinning programme should be one of the priorities since it would help Jwaneng review its practices and improve where possible.

The deputy town clerk, Mr Lawrence Mazinyane said they do acknowledge that Jwaneng Town Council need to partner with other organisations on different areas of interest to help grow the township.

“We do acknowledge that we do not exist as an island and therefore we have already started facilitating the partnership and we are awaiting advice on how to approach the issue. We are hopeful that before the end of the year we will have made progress and having a way forward on the matter,” he said. ENDS