We cannot keep jobs only for Kavango locals – Wakudumo

Kavango East Governor Bonifatius Wakudumo said the region cannot reserve jobs only for native tribesmen because people of other ethnic groups are also de facto residents of the area.

He rejected the idea that the region’s leaders were too timid to prioritize local residents when it comes to job opportunities.

Wakudumo made the remarks yesterday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of NamWater’s water treatment plant in Rundu.

The governor clarified the region’s stance on local participation and employment opportunities. “When we talk about local participation, we are not just referring to the indigenous people of the Kavango region. Today in Kavango, there are Damara, Oshiwambo, Chinese and Caprivi people,” he said.

Non-tribalism

Wakudumo cleared up a common misconception that the call for local employment meant favouring the Kavango indigenous people. “When we discuss the need to provide jobs for our people, many people have a misconception about it. They think the Kavango people are tribalists who only want to provide jobs for the Kavango indigenous people. That is not the case. That is why I deliberately mentioned all the other tribes that happen to be in Rundu. When we talk about local employment, it includes every resident of the Kavango East region,” he said.

“These are residents of Kavango. They vote in this region, whether they migrated from other regions or not. Since they are now in Kavango East, they are voters here and they voted for the development of this region. They cannot just be spectators when development happens.”

He further urged the successful contractors to employ people from the region.

“Some farmers who used to work here have been calling on people from other areas to come and work here. As a representative of the central government, I will never let this situation continue. I want the community to hear this. It is not that our leaders have not addressed this issue,” he said.

“We will ensure that residents of the area are employed in these contracts. Otherwise, mark my words, Kavango East will never get back to normal. We are not cowards. We fought for this country. We were not cowards (back then), (so) how can we be cowards today? Investors and contractors, we need to agree to include our people in these projects,” he said.

(email protected)