Poor road infrastructure remains a challenge in the Kunene Region's remote and rugged areas.
Roads Authority's (RA) Manager of Corporate Communication, Hileni Fillemon, told nbc News that the RA has in this financial year spent over N$2.2 million on road maintenance in the region.
Speaking to nbc News, Opuwo Urban Constituency Councillor Ueutjerevi Ngunaihe said that Opuwo Urban and surrounding constituencies have been neglected in terms of road infrastructure development.
"The only road that was developed from gravel to bitumen road is the road between Kamanjab and Ruacana. The one linking Kamanjab to Ruacana and stretches 57 km to Opuwo, that is the only road we can talk about in this region, especially in Kunene north; the rest are gravel roads and are worn out."
But RA's Hileni Fillemon said there are future road development plans in place, such as the proclamation and construction of roads from Intersection MR124 to Otwani.
Others are DR3707 from Orupembe to Kaoko-Otavi and DR 3705 Intersection of MR124 Onjete to the end of the gravel section, which is anticipated to improve connectivity and accessibility.
Ngunaihe also explained that during the rainy seasons, some roads become difficult and dangerous to access or to pass across.
The most affected are those in remote areas, which are cut off from accessing basic services and even the delivery of drought relief to communities.
"People say don't visit Kunene during the rainy season because their roads are very dangerous, and it is. We lost lives, and people are buried the same day because you can't come to the mortuary to Opuwo because when those rivers are full you can't cross, they will keep you there for 5 days," he said.
RA has undertaken efforts to primarily focus on routine and periodic maintenance activities in the past five years.
This also includes blading and reshaping of gravel roads to maintain their usability and safety.
Ngunaihe also took the news team on a road trip 30 kilometres out of Opuwo to the Oute River to experience the conditions of the roads.
In response, Fillemon said they in the past made efforts and plans regarding the Outer River by putting up a bridge.
RA, through routine maintenance, also installed culvert structures at a cost of approximately N$3.6 million; unfortunately, the structure was too small to handle the river's strong flow capacity and was subsequently washed away.
She added that they still have future plans to construct a larger, more robust bridge.
However, Fillemon added that securing adequate funding for the project remains a challenge, but the construction of the Oute Bridge is a priority.