Eiseb wants to divorce Otjombinde

GOBABIS – Underdevelopment, inadequate economic opportunities and lack of basic services are some of the burning issues raised by Eiseb residents during the public consultation meeting of the Boundary Delimitation and Demarcation Commission held in Gobabis yesterday.

For this reason, they are now calling on the government, through the Commission, to separate the settlement from the Otjombinde constituency and declare it an independent constituency.

During yesterday’s heated and temper-inducing public consultation meeting, residents presented their oral and written observations to the Commission, chaired by Acting Judge Petrus Unengu.

One of the residents of Eiseb, Abel Kandjou, said there is a growing need for the settlement to be declared an electoral district on its own to have its own growth points, as its current state has not given the desired results.

Eiseb, also known as Eiseb Block, is situated about 140 km from Tallismanus and approximately 380 km from Gobabis.

It also serves as an exit point for Gam.

“When we look at the distances we have to travel to Tallismanus just to access basic services or get to the constituency office, it clearly shows and speaks to the need for this Commission to seriously consider recommending that Eiseb be promoted to electoral district. Once declared an electoral district, it will open up growth opportunities for Eiseb residents and serve as a major growth point for the government to also expand its services. It will be great for potential investors to invest in our area,” Kandjou said.

Currently in Eiseb there is not much economic or social activity.

The settlement has only one school, one clinic and a single store.

The Ministry of Agriculture has an office there.

The conservation areas are the main source of income for the settlement’s residents, while most people there depend solely on livestock, gardens and other small businesses.

Another Eiseb resident, Festus Marenga, opposed the divorce and suggested that instead of separating the settlement from the Otjombinde, the government should focus on bringing more services and development to the area.

“I don’t think declaring Eiseb as a constituency will solve all our problems. The solution is for the government to bring development and create opportunities for the people of Eiseb, because the problem here is the lack of development and services, and if those things are solved, I do not see the need to create another constituency. In my opinion, the current setup works perfectly; Let’s simply attend to the development needs of the people of that area,” Marenga objected.

The consultations took place over two days at Ben van der Walt Primary School and were attended by community members, regional and local authority councillors, traditional leaders and a number of prominent Omaheke figures.

Eiseb is named after the Eiseb River, an ephemeral river in the Kalahari Desert.

The settlement was established in 1992 as a place where Ovambanderu and Ovaherero refugees returning from Botswana could settle.

Starting in 1994, Ovaherero and Ovambanderu from other areas, such as Epukiro, Otjinene and Otjombinde, began to resettle there and today make up the majority of the inhabitants.

The area between Eiseb and Epukiro is one of the eleven river basins of Namibia.

It has a total area of ​​10,665 square kilometers. It borders Botswana to the east, reaches as far south as Gobabis and covers parts of the Omaheke and Otjozondjupa regions.

It is estimated that the total annual water production of the basin is 20 million cubic meters, mainly groundwater.

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(Eiseb)

Caption:

Eiseb-Separation… The inhabitants of Eiseb ask for the separation of the Otjombinde electoral district.

Photo: Otniel Hembapú

2024-05-08 Otniel Hembapu