A delegation from the Keetmanshoop Town Council, led by Mayor McDonald Hanse, recently visited the town of Kleinmachnow in Germany, on a drive to strengthen relations towards a formal twinning arrangement. 

Mayor McDonald Hanse says the areas of cooperation identified and discussed include renewable energy, social housing, and sanitation.

"We are looking forward to the partnership since the approach that we took the way forward is that we will have a people-to-people approach. What I mean by that is, the first thing that will happen now is that there will be a joint webpage between Keetmanshoop and Kleinmachnow where peers will communicate with each other, so we will involve the community."

Hanse is optimistic that the Keetmanshoop community will benefit greatly from the twinning agreement once it comes to fruition. 

"One of the main things talked about is skill sharing. We talk about exchange programs, and we also talk about secondments because they do have a rich branch of retired experts, doctors, and professors, who are willing to share their knowledge, so we talk about that. We also talk about possible financial assistance for our waste sewerage plant or reclamation plant since we have a lot of underground water, but these things need a lot of money. And then we also talk about possible German investment, which they can direct to the town of Keetmanshoop, and not only investment but possible social grants which can be diverted to our civil societies based in Keetmanshoop and surrounding areas."  

He highlights some best practices learnt during their visit to Kleinmachnow. 

"They are very strict on their bylaws. You won't find any stray dogs in town, and they are very strict about how you are supposed to treat cats and dogs at your house. Secondly, I also see that they outsourced some of the distribution of water management functions. They included giving the water to people and collecting revenue, so they outsourced it to a partner organisation, which is linked with the town. The same with the social housing scheme. They also sourced it out to a partner organisation."