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The Otjiwarongo Municipality announced its budget for the 2024/2025 financial year in May, totaling N$171.2 million.
N$14.9 million has been allocated for capital projects and N$156.3 million for operational expenditure, which includes the maintenance of existing infrastructure.
Otjiwarongo Mayor Gottlieb Hivut stressed that the town’s operating revenues mainly come from key land sales (N$15 million) and Roads Authority (RA) funds (N$4 million).
The major components of the total operating and capital expenditure budgets include employment-related costs (43%), general and administrative expenses (40%), repairs and maintenance (7%), capital development expenditures (9%), and capital expenses for loan repayments plus interest (1%).
Residents express concern
The municipality has pledged a massive budget of N71 million over three years to address the widespread potholes in the town, especially in the Owetowini area.
However, despite these efforts, road issues remain a matter of great concern to residents.
Road users are unhappy with the poor state of the road. According to the Otjiwarongo City Council, residents have made several complaints about potholes on the road.
“Feedback from the community will be critical in helping us understand the areas that need the most attention,” the committee noted.
Practical Solutions
In response to these complaints, the city has initiated a number of remediation projects and temporary fixes.
The affected streets include P Gurirab, Dr Libertina Amathila Avenue, J Xam Gosaeb and Jonas Useb among others.
“We have entered into a tripartite agreement with the Road Fund Authority (RFA) and the RA to address the condition of roads throughout Otjiwarongo town, focusing on the main roads leading to the national highway that passes through the town,” the council added.
Long-term solutions include developing a detailed maintenance plan, using more durable materials and taking preventative measures to reduce future incidents.
“Our in-house maintenance teams are working hard to patch up the pavement on local roads and have plans in place to do so. In addition, we are upgrading approximately 1km of substandard asphalt to interlocking standards which, when completed in mid-August this year, will serve as an alternative to Dr Libertina Amathila Avenue through Ovetovini,” the city council explained.
Prioritization of road repair and maintenance is based on a number of criteria, including severity of damage, traffic density and the strategic importance of the road.
“Roads leading to deeper areas such as Etambi and Umbili will be given due consideration, especially those that serve as main entry and exit points for residents,” the city council explained.
They said efforts were also being made to overcome these obstacles through strategic planning and resource allocation under the tripartite agreement.
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