Oshakati Town Council has pledged close to N$20 million in rehabilitation activities in the wake of the severe floods that hit the town and its neighbouring areas early this year.

Oshakati town treasurer and acting CEO Immanuel Nakale told Informanté recently that the council was forced to dig deeply into its pocket following the devastating floods that left thousands without homes. Recalling the ugly scenes that resulted, Nakale says an estimated 3,000 residents, mostly from the Oshoopala, Oneshila, Kandjengedi and Uupindi informal settlements, were badly affected.
The town council deemed it fit to avoid similar situations by pumping millions of dollars into projects to sustain the town’s survival from the floods. The money has been afforded to various infrastructural development activities including road construction, sewerage works and housing.
Road construction will suck N$7.1 million from the town’s 2008 budget. This comes on top of over N$8.2 million budgeted for the construction of a new open market, and another N$3.5 million for the construction of a water tower planned for the Uupindi location. More money will be channelled into the rezoning of some of the town’s residential and industrial areas, Nakale says.
The town has also made provision for an unknown amount of money that will be used to facilitate the relocation of the residents of Ehenye, as the town council intends to develop the village into an urbanised location. Nakale has however lamented the slow pace at which the envisaged relocation is moving. “The residents are reluctant to leave. We have limited residential land and we want to develop that land because our population is growing,” Nakale said.
Although Nakale admits that the town council’s revenue is not strong enough to speed up the developmental process, he admits that there is more infrastructural planning in the pipeline. “We have spotted an area that we want to turn into a high income residential area. The High Court has just been completed and I am sure we will be having high income earners coming to town who will want to have an area that matches their calibres,” he said.