Hon. Tebele Proposes Establishment of Omaheke Education Fund

By Tauno Iileka

Regional Councillor for Gobabis constituency and Member of Parliament, Hon. Augustinus Tebele, during the first Ordinary Regional Council meeting held on 07 February 2023, proposed that the Regional Council establishes an education fund.

Motivating his motion, Hon. Tebele, said the fund would aid students from the Omaheke region who are admitted to tertiary academic institutions with funding for registration. This is in support of the theme for the 2023 International Day of Education which advocates for investment in people and prioritising education.

Hon. Tebele further proposed that the Regional Council solicits funds for the education fund from donors, especially local farmers and business people in the region.  The Regional Council would determine the criteria for funding.

Supporting the motion, the Regional Council resolved that the motion be referred to its Management Committee to establish a working committee that would develop modalities for the establishment of the fund.

Farmers Residing in Gobabis Municipal Town Lands and Tsjaka Corridors

During the same meeting, Hon. Tebele tabled a second motion proposing that the Regional Council investigates and solves the issue of farmers' farming in the townlands of the Gobabis municipal area and in the corridors of Tsjaka farms in the Kalahari constituency.

He added that Gobabis Constituency Office and Gobabis Municipality have attempted to remedy the issue, to no avail. The Municipality has spent up to N$350,000 to pay for damages caused by accidents involving livestock, he added.

“If this situation persists, it is expected to cause [a] health hazard to Gobabis residents as the pens where this livestock are kept are within the residential areas,” Hon. Tebele said.

As a solution, he recommended that the Omaheke Resettlement Committee should recommend these farmers be resettled on an undivided equal share basis at Farm Witsand in the Gobabis constituency.

The Regional Council resolved that it would seek an audience with the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform on the matter. Meanwhile, the Council’s administration would identify the farmers affected by this situation and compile a report.