Rundu: Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Rundu Town Council, Fransiska Thikerete, has flagged the shortage of technical staff, citing the absence of an engineer in the urban and town planning division as a major constraint to efficient planning. Thikerete made the remarks in Rundu on Wednesday during a consultation between the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban and Rural Development and Land Reform and the country's five most populous local authorities.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the engagements involve Rundu, Oshakati, Windhoek, Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. 'While the City of Windhoek is adequately staffed with engineers, architects and planners, Rundu lacks such critical professionals, leaving the town heavily dependent on external consultants,' Thikerete told the committee. She said this capacity gap continues to slow down planning and development processes.

The committee learned during these consultations that since independence, Rundu has never serviced land using its own funds. The older townships were serviced before independence and the newer ones after independence developed by private firms. During the consultations, Affirmative Repositioning Member of Parliament Job Amupanda criticised the reliance on private companies for town planning, arguing that planning should be carried out by internal professionals 'who understand the living conditions of black families.'

Swapo Party Member of Parliament Werner Iita also weighed in, saying the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development was excessively micromanaging local authorities. He said some councils previously had the capacity to employ town planners but were prevented from doing so, and called for greater autonomy for local authorities.