WALVIS BAY - The Walvis Bay Municipality announced its N$140 million budget for the fiscal year 2012/2013 last week.
The budget for the fiscal year ending June 2013, comprises N$64 million that was set aside for land development projects.

Total revenue for the new financial year is estimated at about N$238 million, according to the budget that was tabled last Thursday.
Total revenue for the current financial year was around N$218 million, indicating a growth of 9,17 percent for the municipality.

Close to N$13 million is earmarked for several developments in Kuisebmond that include the extension of the Kuisebmond old age home, construction of a youth centre and an industrial workshop, upgrading of the Kuisebmond stadium and the Single Quarters.
Provision is also made for a new cemetery and an old- age home for Narraville – N$3 million is earmarked for these two projects.

The chairperson of the management committee, Immanuel Wilfred, pointed out that the municipality mainly generates revenue from service tariff adjustments and increases in property developments.  
About 80 percent of total estimated income comes from water and related services, property rates and taxes, refuse removal services and sanitation services.

Wilfred admitted that council is facing several challenges that at times hamper service delivery.
He pointed at the high unemployment rate saying this is a major challenge for residents who are unable to settle their accounts with the municipality for services rendered.

“In the absence of payment for services, funds owed to the council remain unpaid. Without sufficient funds, we are unable to render effective and efficient services. In order to try and address some of the challenges we are facing, we have embarked upon establishing some objectives that will hopefully assist us in addressing crucial challenges,” he said.

Wilfred reaffirmed council’s commitment as a public entity to provide effective and efficient services continuously to all residents.

“We want all our respective community members, and not only those in the high-income brackets, to have access to our basic services despite our high unemployment rate.”
Hence, he said, investment promotion and employment creation should be addressed by all stakeholders especially in areas such as manufacturing, renewable energy, tourism, aquaculture and heavy industrial activities. 

“It is our belief and expectation that such investment activities will result in employment creation activities that will in turn positively address local socio-economic developments in our town,” stated the mayor.

“Therefore, I would like to call upon all stakeholders and role-players involved in local economic investment projects to give due regard to our local people when it comes to employment opportunities,” he said.