In a groundbreaking move for the Otjiwarongo Municipality, the council's budget was publicly shared with the community for the first time.

According to Gothard Hoko, the chairperson of the management council, the purpose of this move is to inform community members about the council's plans, projects, and other activities, as many residents do not attend council meetings.

During the public meeting at the community hall, updates were also provided on road maintenance, water infrastructure, and expansions, including waste water treatment and street renaming.

Hoko stated that this year's financial budget amounts to N$171 million.

"The council made a resolution this year to promote collective or inclusive leadership. We have engaged different stakeholders from the community, including business people and SMEs. We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who contributed to this important document."

Hoko explained that the council allocated N$14 million in the capital budget to address the increasing population and service demand.

The construction of a multi-purpose market in the town is a high priority.

To generate funds for services, rates and tax tariffs have been increased by 6%.

N$11 million has been set aside to address the ageing water infrastructure, town expansion, sewer reticulations, solid waste, and technology equipment for the traffic department.

Additionally, an emergency response building will be constructed at a cost of N$3.2 million.

"Otjiwarongo is growing older, which means our infrastructure is ageing. As a result, there is a demand for the provision and maintenance of our basic service infrastructure. We have allocated funds for town planning, as our town is constantly expanding. You can see this from the current census figures: we now have 50,000 people. So, we are growing."

The council is currently focused on fixing potholes and filling them as part of road rehabilitation efforts. This work will continue until June 21, which is the deadline.