Disgruntled Landless Peoples' Movement (LPM) members and supporters at Keetmanshoop staged a protest against the Keetmanshoop Urban Constituency Office, accusing the sitting councillor, Joseph Isaack, of having failed to implement any socio-economic developmental project.
Isaack, representing LPM, took office after the 2019 regional elections.
Marching through the streets of Keetmanshoop, protestors demanded the removal of Councillor Isaack, claiming that he was never available when needed by the electorate, which voted him into office.
"What happens here in this office is the unavailability of the councillor that is supposed to serve us. Every day, elders come to this office, and the councillor cannot be found. When he is found, wherever he is found, he'll give people time to come here to make an appointment, but when they come for the appointment with their long list of problems, the councillor is never to be found. When it comes to opportunities in our region and in our town, he is no use to us. Why is it always us from our town who are disadvantaged by this kind of opportunity?" said Vernon Coleman, who was leading the protest.
Expressing concern over the councillors' failure to hear the protestors' concerns, Coleman vowed the group would continue protesting until they met the councillor face-to-face.
Coleman could not be drawn into commenting on facing possible disciplinary action from the LPM's top brass for leading an unauthorised protest.
"I don't think it's the right platform to ask this one, Mr Luqman. Let's take this one for next week, and then we'll speak again because, like I am saying, sanction or sanction, we don't need approval from anyone to show our discontent."
When approached for comment, Isaack denied snubbing the electorate.
"To be a councillor, you're not office-bound, but I am there; I was there yesterday at my office; I am there all along. I meet people, and I speak to people. I help people, and I listen to people."
Regarding the accusations of a lack of development projects, Isaack had this to say: "We have an office park that is consuming all our money in the Keetmanshoop Urban Constituency. Construction of the office park commenced in 2016 and is still not complete. It is busy, and every year when the development budget is released, the office park takes a lot of money from Keetmanshoop Urban. So if we have this huge project that is not completed and money is being invested in it, where do we get the money to do what we intend to do?"