The leader of the Landless People's Movement (LPM), Bernadus Swartbooi, called on the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, James Sankwasa, to focus on developing local authorities and do away with what he calls unnecessary fights. 

Recently, the minister has been calling local authorities to order and demanding accountability and service delivery.

During a media briefing, Swartbooi, flanked by the party councillors in the City of Windhoek, touched on threats of budget cuts that they say would be unlawful and uninformed. 

Swartbooi said the municipality faces immense pressure due to the lack of strategic plans to develop rural areas, which in turn leads to migration to the city. 

"Our understanding of rural development is a fundamentally integrated government-as-a-whole approach in which society is given opportunities and guaranteed opportunities in rural remote areas, not just by creating roads, but by creating deliberate agriculture and other opportunities that can attract and hold young people and get them the opportunities right there to blossom the areas from which they come."

He also touched on the recently blocked trip to Lesotho by the minister, where the councillors attended the Southern African Inter-Municipality Sports Association.

The counsellors say the trip was within the approved budget by the ministry and was necessary for mental health. 

"Once a budget is approved, the minister usually cannot micromanage line-item expenditures unless there is a finding of misuse of funds, irregularities or policy contravention. The timing raises questions about fairness, due process, and practicality. For a minister to cancel an activity that has already been approved in a budget, there must be a specific section granting him that right and a clear legal reason; a circular alone without statutory backing cannot undo an already executed Council resolution," explained Councillor Sade Gawa!nas.