The 5th Boundaries, Delimitation, and Demarcation Commission has decided against the creation of any new regions, despite the numerous proposals made in that regard. 

The Commission handed over its final report to President Nangolo Mbumba at State House.

The Commission took the decision not to create new regions after benchmarking against countries such as Angola, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. 

Its Chairperson, Peter Unengu, argued that these countries have higher populations yet fewer regions or provinces compared to Namibia. 

The Commission has, however, recommended seven regional boundary adjustments and the creation of ten new constituencies. 

Other recommendations are for 61 constituency boundary adjustments and two constituencies to be renamed.

"It is worth mentioning that the Commission was tasked with both the delimitation and demarcation of boundaries. Contained in the report are the complete delimitation work and the Commission's final recommendations, which must guide the final demarcation work of the Office of the Surveyor-General once the recommendations are approved by His Excellency, the President. The approval of these recommendations should enable the production of the gazetted and field-validated regional and administrative maps."

The Commission says it applied a number of considerations to evaluate submissions made by inhabitants.

The cost implications of creating new regions and constituencies, the land size of the concerned regions and constituencies, and the number of eligible voters are but some.

"In making our recommendations for the creation and demarcation of regional and constituency boundaries, the Commission was mindful of the potential risks of tribal and ethnic segregation, which could threaten the hard-won peace and stability that our nation enjoys today."

President Mbumba said the recommendations would be discussed in Cabinet before any pronouncement is made.

Cabinet resumes business next month.

"We are proud as citizens of Namibia that those entrusted with this duty to look at all our regions and constituencies, where are the people getting many, where are services getting too far from the citizens, and they have done that, and they were also very conscious of the number of citizens we have. Not to create institutions for the sake of appointing people to those positions, so no new governors will come, I am sorry, only governors of the 14 regions. We will study this document and take it to Cabinet which is the final decision authority in the country, not the President. The president does not decide alone; even the creation of the Commission was the decision of the Cabinet in line with the Constitution and the Namibian laws."

Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila commended the Commission for a job well done, adding "I was pleased to know that you considered both the national unity and not succumbing to calls for us to reorganise ourselves on the basis of our ethnicities because that will work against us, but you also considered access to services because this is one of the things that people were really raising."

The Boundaries Delimitation and Demarcation Commission members were drawn from legal, academic, civil society, and faith-based communities.