2010-2011 motivation speech for vote 17-mrlgh regional and local governmet land and rehabilitation

8/9/2019 2010-2011 Motivation Speech for Vote 17-MRLGH Regional and local Governmet land and rehabilitation

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REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA

MOTIVATION BUDGET SPEECHFOR THE 2010/2011 FINANCIAL YEAR

BY

HONOURABLE JERRY EKANDJO,MINISTER OF REGIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, HOUSINGAND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

VOTE 17

"Providing shelter, addressing infrastructure and rural development forrural and urban poor, continuing to take Government to the People inthe next FIVE YEARS!"

05 MAY 2010NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA

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BUDGET MOTIVATION SPEECH FOR VOTE 17Chairperson of the Whole House CommitteeHonourable Members of this August House.The 20 10/20 12 budget is being introduced at a time when world is confrontedwith challenging phenomenon of economic recession which has placed thepeople on our globe at a disposition of inadequate resources to meet theirneeds.As I introduce Vote 17 of the Ministry of Regional and Local Government,Housing and Rural Development in this August house for consideration,discussion and approval, I do so mindful of the unfavourable economicfactors bedevilling the nations of the world, including our very Republic ofbrave.It is for this reason that my Ministry is happy to associate itself withcongratulations already extended to Honourable Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila and members of her team for having, once again, been able to putforward a budget that attempts to deal with this most unfavourable set ofcircumstances. They are to be admired for their strides to addressing nationalupheavals; notable is the protection of our citizens who constitute mostvulnerable group.Comrade Chairperson, the total allocation for my Ministry in this financialyear is N$958 693 000.00 (Nine Hundred and Fifty Eight Million, SixHundred and Ninety Three Thousand Namibia dollars). This is an increase of20%). This budget will be divided amongst the five programmes in theMinistry:

Programme 1: Infrastructure Development and Housing Delivery:N$483 554 000.00 (Four hundred and eighty three million, fivehundred and fifty four thousand Namibia dollars); Programme 2: Regional and Local Government: N$416 364 000.00(Four hundred and sixteen million, three hundred and sixty fourthousand, Namibia dollars); Programme 3: Traditional Authorities Coordination: N$22 731 000.00(Twenty two million, seven hundred and thirty one thousand Namibiadollars);

Programme 4: Decentralization: N$9 251 000.00 (Nine million, twohundred and fifty one thousand Namibia dollars); Programme 5: Rural Development: N$26 793 000.00 (Twenty SIXmillion, seven hundred and ninety three thousand Namibia dollars);

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PROGRAMME ONE:HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT,

HOUSING DELIVERYHousing is a basic right and crucial to the realization of Vision 2030, NDP3and millennium Development Goals (MDG's). Improving the livingconditions of urban dwellers especially those living in informal settlementsby improving housing, security of tenure and access to water and sanitationwill automatically have a positive impact on the attainment of most goals andtargets. Thus, my Ministry likes to express its commitment anddetermination to achieve the primary goal of creating conducive environmentfor all role players in order to facilitate the process of shelter for allNamibians.

It is very important for one to understand that promoting housing is anotherway of combating poverty, however housing development alone could notnecessary lead to poverty alleviation since the poor could have otherpriorities or pressing needs. Therefore, there is a need for linkages betweenhousing deliverables and economic growth.

National Housing Programme: Build Together Programme

To ensure effective and efficient implementation of this programme by thesub-national governments, Central Government should make resourcesavailable in order to service land.

The process of decentralization of housing provision has resulted in goodgovernance as communities are actively taking part in project planning,

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decision making and even in the implementation of the projects. The processof community participation has led to the projects to be completed in timeand promote the concept of ownership.

Comrade ChairpersonHonourable Members

There are eminent challenges in housing and land delivery such as anincrease in the urban population particularly in the informal settlements. Thisprocess of urban/rural migration has resulted in tremendous pressure on thedelivery of basic services in urban areas. Thus, all local authorities areunable to meet the needs and demands of serviced land for potentialinvestors. Though, the Ministry has a plan in place to support financially thedevelopment of infrastructure and overhauling the old ones, our budgetallocated cannot match the demands.

The shortage of suitable qualified staff at sub-national level hampers theprocess of both land and housing delivery. Lack of these skills often resultsin poor management and maintenance of infrastructure. Therefore, theMinistry will have to continue with capacity building of regional and localgovernments. On the housing delivery particularly of the poor families - theMinistry will continue to facilitate subsidy for specific target groups orfamilies at recovery rate.

Costs of land delivery in the country are unaffordable, and the buildingstandards and appropriateness applied currently does not take into accountthe affordability of many poor Namibians. Therefore, the Ministry incooperation with its partners in land and housing delivery are busy looking atways to develop building standards in relation to Namibian conditions hence,

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the need to revise the National Housing Development Act, 2000 after theNational Housing Policy which was approved by Cabinet in 1991 wasreviewed in July 2009.INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENTComrade ChairpersonHonourable Members

The relative absence of infrastructure in towns such as roads, water supply,communication facilities and adequate housing makes towns less competitiveand not attractive when it comes to investors, resulting into the stagnation ofeconomic development.

The infrastructure development is an ongoing process and the construction ofservices such as water, sewerage and roads networks is underway in thefollowing areas: Bukalo, Henties Bay, Rehoboth, Aussenkehr, Divundu, Katima Mulilo,Nkurenkuru, Otjinene, Otuzemba in Opuwo and Omuthiyagwiipundi.The Construction of the Omuthiya and Nkurenkuru Town Councils Officeshas been completed. The construction of new Town Council Offices wouldfollow immediately after the proclamation thereof.In support of the decentralization, by bringing the Government closer to thepeople, the relocation of the Oshikoto Regional Headquarters from Tsumebto Omuthiya was completed recently. The first phase of its office complexhas been completed to host some of the delegated functions to the regions.However, more funds would be required to complete the second phace in thenear future.Tremendous progress has been realised in the construction of theconstituency offices through out the country. In this regard, I am happy toreport that construction of all 107 constituency offices in the 13 regions hasbeen completed at the end of the 2009110 financial year. The completion ofthe constituency offices has given the Ministry the breathing space to alsofocus on the construction of the Traditional Authorities offices in needycommunities.

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Housing and Sanitation

Housing and sanitation is at heart of the Government of the Republic ofNamibia.The Ministry is proud to report that it has successfully replaced the inhumanbucket system at many Villages and Settlements especially in the south.During the current financial year, more funds would be needed to connect thehouseholds to the sewer system.Through the Trust Fund for Regional Development and Equity Provision, thesewerage systems have been upgraded in Rundu, Ruacana and Karibibduring the period under review. More funds are needed to construct thesewerage system at Karasburg Municipality and upgrade other ailing sewersystems in other towns.Constructions of toilets in the rural areas are underway. The pilot projectcommenced with the Caprivi, Kavango, Ohangwena, Oshana and OmusatiRegions in the 2009110 financial year for a combined amount ofN$lOO 000000.00 (One hundred Millions Namibian dollars). The five regions wereselected in line with the National Household survey conducted by theNational Planning Commission Secretariat which revealed that 75% of thehousehold in these regions used bushes for toilet. In the current financialyear, the project is intended to be extended to Oshikoto, Kunene andKhomas Regions.

PROGRAMME TWO:REGIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT COORDINATION

Comrade ChairpersonHonourable MembersEnsuring effective and efficient service delivery at the grass root levels of oursociety by our sub-national entities continues to be one of my Ministry's coremandates. In this regard, the Programme Regional and Local Governmentcontinues to facilitate the establishment and development of effective andsustainable Regional and Local Government that bring Government closer tothe people and capable of delivering services to the satisfaction of all ourcommunities.

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The following are the main strategic goals for the programme; To complete the creation of enabling, regulatory and legal environment

in which all sub - national levels of government will be able tomaximize their governing, development and service delivery mandates.

To improve the delivery capacity of Regional, Local and Traditionalauthorities and expand client - service relationship and commitment togreater levels.

PLOCLAMATION OF NEW LOCAL AUTHORITIESThe establishment of new local authorities, particularly in those parts of ourcountry where access to basic municipal services and other amenities isalmost non-existent, continues to be one of our priorities. This is particularlyaimed at the fulfilment of the Cabinet requirement to have a second LocalAuthority in Regions where there is only one Local authority, e.g. CapriviRegion.During the Financial year under review, the Ministry has finalized theproclamation process of Otjinene in the Omaheke Region as a local authoritywith the Village Council status .. Election for the new local authority Councilfor Otjinene is expected to be held during the forthcoming Regional andLocal Authorities' elections in November 2010. The proclamation ofOranjemund in the Karas Region as a Local Authority has been delayed dueto technical matters on the township establishment and accessibility issues asthe Town is situated in a restricted mining area. It is however, envisaged thatthis proclamation process will be finalized during the course of this year andelections can also take place in November 2010.ENHANCEMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATIONInadequate financial resources coupled with lack of skilled and qualifiedpersonnel continues to hamper effective and efficient service delivery by amajority of our Local Authorities, particularly the smaller ones. This situationis partly aggravated by widespread poverty, high unemployment levels, andlow economic growth.In striving to mitigate the negative impact of this situation on our LocalAuthorities, the Ministry continues to implement the 2007 Cabinet approvedIntervention Plan aimed at broadening the revenue base and generation

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capacity, efficient management of resources, revamping of dilapidated andaging municipal services infrastructure, and capacity building throughtraining. Through this intervention plan, professional staff such asAccountants and Artisan have been recruited and deployed at all VillageCouncils w here th ey are needed, agin g veh icle fleets have been replaced w ithnew fleets, water and electricity supply infrastructure repaired or replaced,outstanding third party accounts settled, payment of maximum demandcharges by NamPower on a monthly basis on behalf of the Village Councilsis being done, as well as the continuous capacity building through training.The Ministry provides funds to Local Authorities, especially smaller andnewly established ones, to cater for capital projects as well as their essentialoperational costs. This ensures reliable service delivery to communities andenhances their capacity to develop their infrastructure and create jobopportunities through community engagement.The Local and Regional Economic Development (LRED) White Paper forNamibia, which was formulated under the Ministry'S sector goals under theNDP2 has now been finalized and adopted by Cabinet and will soon besubmitted to this August House. The establishment of the Local EconomicDevelopment Agency (LEDA) as a Unit in the Ministry has already beenapproved by the Office of the Prime Minister and the recruitment of its staffcompliment is currently under way. The German Agency for TechnicalCooperation (GTZ) is assisting the Ministry with the implementation of theWhite Paper as part of the Namibia/German bilateral Programme Partnershipfor Economic Growth (PEG).The Reform of the Local Authority Sector remains a priority of the Ministry.In this respect we have approached the Commonwealth Secretariat forassistance on the best options of reform. A consultant is now in the process ofbeing appointed by the Commonwealth Secretariat to assist in this process.As part of this process, the Ministry is currently formulating proposals foramendments to the Local Authorities Act of 1992 and other relevant laws inorder to harmonize them with current developments in the country.The implementation of the Fire Brigade Services Act of 2006 is starting toproduce positive results for our Local Authorities. During the year underreview, the Ministry has succeeded in procuring Twenty Three (23) FireFighting Equipment for a similar number of our Local Authorities. Theremaining Local Authorities will be provided with fire fighting equipmentduring the 2010/2011 financial year. Through this endeavour, we arecontributing to the national effort to ensure that all local authorities haveadequate capacity to deal with emergency situations.

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During the year under review, the Ministry allocated an amount of N$500000-00 (Five Hundred Thousand Namibian Dollar) to the Association forLocal Authorities in Namibia (ALAN) in order to assist them in theircapacity building and advocacy initiatives for the benefit of local authoritiesin the country. This assistance will continue during this financial year.The non-availability of land for development purposes in our urban centers isincreasingly becoming a major challenge to our Local Authorities. This isparticularly so for those situated in communal areas where communities arereluctant to pave way for urban development. In order to address this issue, anew Compensation Policy was approved by Cabinet for implementation byLocal Authorities, Regional Councils, and other stakeholders. In this regard,funds are required to compensate families being relocated from their land topave way for urban development.ENHANCEMENT OF REGIONAL COUNCILS' ADMINISTRATIONThe Ministry continues to play a crucial role in capacitating RegionalCouncils to perform their mandates through providing the necessary financialresources and the training of both the elected leaders and administrative staff.These capacity building interventions focused on, among others, financialmanagement, local and regional economic development, human resourcesmanagement, legal framework, and leadership.The implementation of the consolidated structures of Regional Councils isprogressing very well and functioning to the satisfaction of the Ministry.Under the consolidated structure, skilled personnel in the field ofengineering, financial management, human resources management, andinformation and communication technology are being recruited for allRegional Councils. The provision of services at declared Settlement Areashas also improved as a result of the recruitment of essential staff that isresponsible for the day-to-day administration of these settlement areas.Amendments to the Regional Councils Act of 1992 and other relevant lawsare also under way to bring it in line with current developments in thecountry.

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PROGRAMME 3:TRADITIONAL AUTHORITIES COORDINATION

COUNCIL OF TRADITIONAL LEADERSComrade ChairpersonHonourable MembersTraditional Authorities play an increasingly important role in ensuringobservance of customary laws and in allocation and administration ofcommunal land through communal land boards. They are also expected toadminister community courts and resolve disputes amongst communities intheir areas of jurisdiction.COUNCIL OF TRADITIONAL LEADERSThe Council of Traditional Leaders Act requires the Council to convenemeetings to deliberate on matters pertaining to traditional communities,communal land matters, and advice and make recommendation to the Headof State on any matter relating to communal land and tribal disputes.The Ministry continues to render secretariat services to the Council ofTraditional Leaders. The Council successfully held its 1iAnnual Meeting inDecember 2009. With the recognition of two (2) more Traditional Authoritiesduring the year under review, the number of Council members has increasedfrom 94 to 98. More funds will be required to fund the Annual Meeting of theCouncil of Traditional Leaders.ALLOWANCES AND FUNDINGAUTHORITIES' OPERATIONS

OF TRADITIONAL

The Ministry gives monthly allowances to traditional leaders from the FortyNine (49) recognized Traditional Authorities. Fifteen (15) persons per eachTraditional Authority receive monthly allowances.In order for the Traditional Leaders to fully perform their duties andfunctions, there is need for them to be continuously trained on the provisionsof the relevant laws and administrative procedures. In addition, the frequentand alarming tribal dispute among the Traditional Communities, dictate thatthe Council of Traditional Leaders are equipped with techniques on conflictresolution.

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Over the years, lack of transport was one of the problems affecting theoperation of Traditional Authorities. During the year under review, theMinistry has purchased 49 Toyota 4 x 4 double cab vehicles for all the 49recognized Traditional Authorities. Funds will be required during the currentfinancial year for running costs and maintenance of these vehicles.During the year under review, all 49 Secretaries from the 49 recognizedTraditional Authorities were trained in office administration. Funds aretherefore required to continue with these training interventions.APPLICATIONSAUTHORITIES'DISPUTES

FOR RECOGNITION, TRADITIONALINVESTIGATIONS AND SETTLEMENT OF

During the 2009 /2010 financial year, Two (2) outstanding applications forrecognition for the San traditional communities in Omaheke Region wereapproved. The two are the #Kaoll'aesi Traditional Authority and! XooTraditional Authority.In terms of the Traditional Authorities Act, any application for recognition ofa Traditional Authority has to be discussed and scrutinized by the Council ofTraditional Leaders through consultation with the relevant communities.Therefore, funds are required to implement this activity during the course ofthis financial year.On dispute resolution, a ministerial investigating committee was appointed toinvestigate the leadership dispute among the Ovambanderu traditionalcommunity. The committee has finalized its investigation and has handedover its report to the Ministry. However, one group of the OvambanderuTraditional Community could not accept the recommendation of the report.TRADITIONAL AUTHORITIES' REFORMDuring the year under review, the Traditional Authority Sector ReformCommittee was established by my Ministry to spearhead the TraditionalAuthorities Reform by conducting comparative studies on differentTraditional Authorities structures in the SADC Region. The Committeevisited the Houses of Traditional Leaders of South Africa and Zambia.During 2010 /2011 financial year, the Committee intends to visit the House ofTraditional Leaders of Botswana and will undertake local visits to allrecognized Traditional Authorities for internal study and consultations on thereform. Funds are required to complete this activity during the 2010 /2011financial year.

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PROGRAMME 4:DECENTRALISATION COORDINATION

Comrade ChairpersonHonourable MembersDecentralisation is a Government reform which was adopted by the SWAPOled government. Some of the Honourable Members may recall that evenbefore independence, the 1986 SWAPO Blueprint on Governance in Namibiaafter Independence launched the concept of decentralisation as a means toachieve local democracy and participation at the grassroots level ingovernment affairs.In this reporting period, the active functioning of the Decentralization PolicyImplementation Committee CDPIC) chaired by the Secretary to Cabinet withmembership of Permanent Secretaries has substantially contributed toincrease the momentum of the reform and addressing critical policy levelmatters of the reform. In addition, the fact that decentralisation reform hasbeen placed as a standing agenda item on the Permanent Secretaries meetingshas helped to keep all Permanent secretaries informed on the progress madeand the challenges of the reform.Here I wish to share with the Honourable Members some of the achievementsduring the past financial year:The first achievement under this programme is the continued support to lineMinistries to develop and implement their Decentralisation Action Plans.The support to decentralising line ministries is ongoing. As this AugustHouse has been informed last year, the delegation of the functions ofeducation and maintenance took effect as of 1st April 2009. This wasfollowed by the full handing over of the education functions and staff to allthirteen Regional Councils. This was followed by the Induction of theseconded education staff into the Regional Councils and training in financialmanagement of delegated funds. The hand-over of functions, staff andmoveable assets for the Maintenance Function was completed in all regionsexcept Oshana, Omusati, Ohangwena and Oshikoto. The induction of allseconded staff has been completed in all regions. The handover for theremaining regions will be done in the first half of this financial year(2010/2011).

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Substantial progress has been made with the preparation of the delegation ofthe functions of Lands and Resettlement, Information and CommunicationTechnology, Labour and Social Welfare and my own ministry. Ministries ofMines and Energy and Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture haveindicated their willingness to start the decentralisation process.The second achievement is continued capacity building and support toRegional Councils and Local Authorities to maintain a state of readiness fordecentralisation and improved performance. One of the strategicinterventions undertaken was training on Regional Development PlanningPractices in line with the core mandate of Regional Councils. The right forcitizens to be well-informed about council decisions and the administrativematters necessitated the need to improve the way councils documentresolutions. It is on this basis that the ministry facilitated training in minute-taking and record management to all thirteen Regional Councils.Furthermore, my ministry has developed and rolled out a Procedure Manualto strengthen the procurement of goods and services through tenders atregional level. In order to strengthen the functioning of RegionalDevelopment Coordinating Committees and Constituency DevelopmentCommittees, the ministry together with the Regional Councils criticallyreviewed the Development Planning Guidelines.As I highlighted last year, the ministry concluded a study on officeaccommodation to address the challenge of office accommodation in view offunctions to be delegated. Due to economic down-tum, no funds have beenprocured to commence with the construction of offices.The third achievement deals with fiscal decentralisation and the developmentof an Inter-Governmental Fiscal Transfer System. As you may know, theultimate policy objective of decentralisation in Namibia is decentralisation bydevolution - which includes, among others, the devolution of financialresources to regions. Under devolution, it is envisaged that RegionalCouncils will be provided with financial resources through an equitable andtransparent inter-governmental fiscal transfer mechanism, also known as theRecurrent and Development Grant System. To that effect, the issuesproposed were reviewed for inclusion in the Draft Policy before submissionto the Cabinet Committee on Treasury.

During the 2010/2011 Financial Year, the following programmes andactivities are intended:

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Continued support to line Ministries to develop and implement theirDecentralisation Action Plans; Continued capacity building and support to Regional Councils andlocal authorities to maintain a state of readiness for decentralisationand imp rove th eir p erfo rmance; Finalise amendments to main pieces of legislation related todecentralisation;

Build professional competence within line Ministries. Staff must bewilling and capacitated to play new roles in the delegation anddevolution process. They must also be prepared to acceptreorganisation of their structures to align these with the new role theyare expected to perform;

Strengthen the development planning capacities at Regional and locallevels. Induction of incoming elected Regional and Local AuthorityCouncillors. Finalise the draft policy on Inter-governmental transfer system andformulae for all the applicable grants;

Allow me to conclude my points under this programme by stating thatdecentralisation if carefully implemented, will substantially contribute tosustainable development, poverty reduction and participatory democracy.

PROGRAMME FIVE:RURAL DEVELOPMENT

THE RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESSComrade ChairpersonHonourable MembersTHE RURAL DEVELOPMENT MILESTONEThe Ministry has embarked on the process of rural development focus. Theestablishment of Rural Development Directorate has been completed andapproved by the Public Service Commission Secretariat, with key result orfocus areas being Rural Industrialization, Natural Resource Management,Social Infrastructure Development, Food Security, Planning, Monitoring andEvaluation and Statistics and Research.

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The instructional framework for the rural development function and staffcompliment has been finalized and all positions have been filled.The Ministry, in collaboration with the National Planning Commission, isalso currently busy with the formulation of the Rural Development Policy.The consulting team, which is assisting the Ministry in the formulation of thepolicy, has already been appointed. Therefore it is expected that the draft willbe ready before the end of this year for consideration by cabinet. The RuralDevelopment Sector Programme Strategic Plan is also expected to becompleted by December 2010.

FOOD/CASH FOR WORK PROGRAMME:During the period under review the project was implemented across thecountry, covering productive activities such as feeder roads, water pipelinedigging, construction of teachers houses and class rooms, earth dams,Construction of VIP toilets, community halls, clinics, etc.The rural people, in particular able-bodied people, participated in theprogramme by providing labour, thus giving effect to the philosophy ofparticipatory democracy and grassroots participation in mainstream economicdevelopment activities.The programme components are:

Purchase food and non-food items/materials Warehouse rentals and security guards Training and short-term consultancies to capacitate the beneficiaries

All thirteen (13) regions will benefit from the programme.It is important to note that the programmes do not intend or envisageproviding cash grants to the beneficiaries. Instead, the programmes pays awage to beneficiaries for providing labour input and make building materials,means of production, training and supervision available.The programme funding is to cover various expenses for the materials andequipment for the projects and various sectoral and regional training andcapacity building, as well as consultative workshops and meetings.

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FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION: EMPLOYMENT OF THE SANCOMMUNITY FOR HOUSEHOLDFOOD SECURITY:The objective of this programme is to mobilize the San Community membersto engage in productive activities, with the aim of improving the foodproduction potential of resettled San Communities through their participationin community-based self-help projects.The project focuses on developing an integrated farming system to improvethe quality of the household food consumption, through the introduction ofdiversified crop production and livestock development.

RURAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRESThe Ministry is currently developing the capacity of the three (3) RuralDevelopment Centres at Ben-Hur/Tsjaka, Ongwediva and Okashana, whichhave been outsourced to local Non-governmental organizations. Thesecentres provide the rural small farmers with appropriate technologies andskills that are relevant to their profession.

CHALLENGES IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT: Insufficient funding for regional community-based self-help projectsconstrained a mass participation in rural development; New upcoming black empowerment businesses were awarded tenders forthe Food For Work Programme, but are lacking the capacity to supply

materials to regional projects; Lack of institutional and human capacity at regional level to promote ruraldevelopment; There is a need to engage more able-bodied people in the Food and Cashfor Work projects, who are currently receiving food aid through theVulnerable Group Feeding Programme.

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Comrade ChairpersonHonourable MembersIn conclusion, allow me to express a special word of thanks to all our localand international development partners involved in regional and localgovernment, housing delivery, decentralisation and rural developmentsectors.A word of thanks also goes to the officials and staff of my Ministry for theircontinued dedication and commitment in the fulfilment of the Ministry'Smandate.With these few remarks, I now request this August House to support andapprove the total budget of N$ 958, 693, 000 (Nine hundred and fifty eightmillion, six hundred and ninety three thousand Namibian dollars)

I THANK YOU.

2010-2011 motivation speech for vote 17-mrlgh regional and local governmet land and rehabilitation

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