Arandis gears up for the next five years

Mayor Risto Kapendah launches town’s strategic Five Year Plan (2019 -2024)

The Arandis Town Council launched its Strategic Plan for the period 2019 – 2024 for this Erongo town last Friday. The strategic plan identified focus areas: joint venture participation, public utility supply, industrialisation, support services and logistics.

Council also adopted an inward-strategy to increase employee productiveness with values which include teamwork; respect; transparency; integrity and accountability. Arandis Town Council in the next five years wants to strengthen its position as a people focused, develop-mental driven Local Authority.
Two key projects that will be completed during the next five years are the installation of a prepaid water metering system for the town and remote reading system to address tampering and income losses. The system will also enable all consumers to be re-connected to the water supply system.
The launch of the strategic plan 2019-2024 was attended by a high level delegation comprising the Deputy Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Derek Klazen; the Governor of the Erongo Region, Clr. Cleophas Mutjavikua; the Constituency Councillor, Benitha Imbamba; the Mayor of Arandis, Risto Kapendah; the town’s Chief Executive Officer, Stanley Norris; members of the town council of Arandis; the management and staff of Arandis town council and invited guests from the private sector.
In his keynote address Deputy Minister Klazen said he is pleased with the progress made with the development of Arandis in recent years.
“Over the years, while residing in this region [Erongo], I have seen Arandis undergoing a metamorphosis. From being a humble but an aspiring town established by Rössing Uranium Mine to accommodate its employees, to a beautiful town that has become an economically viable town in our country”.
Arandis was handed over to the Namibian Government in 1992 as an Independence gift. Management was taken over by the then Peri-Urban Development Board, under the Ministry of Regional, Local Government, Housing and Rural Development. It was proclaimed a town in 1994, explained Klazen.
He lauded subsequent efforts by the town’s management to attract investors, to improve local service delivery and to diversify the micro-economy to wean it from dependency on the mining industry in the immediate area.
In his address, the Mayor of Arandis, Clr Risto Kapendah stressed the important linked between strategic planning and effective public service delivery. Proper planning reduces not only the risk of failure but also eliminates the fear of failure. Fear of failure often is the driving force behind not wanting to take a risk, he explained. Effective planning means the risk of failure can be assessed, mitigated and managed properly.