Gobabis, Namibia – Melba Tjozongoro, representing the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), was re-elected as Mayor of Gobabis on Friday. She retained her position unopposed in the eastern town. Nona Gogases will continue to serve as deputy mayor, having also been re-elected without opposition. Additionally, Alivira Theron, Silvester Binga, and Isaak de Beers were re-elected as members of the management community.

According to Namibian Press Agency (NAMPA), In nearby towns, incumbents also held onto their positions. At Witvlei, Matilde Eises and Sheya !Gaogoses maintained their roles as Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of the management committee, respectively. In Leonardville, Petra Salomi Witbooi was re-elected Chairperson with Bernard Gariseb as her deputy.

During her acceptance speech, Tjozongoro addressed the financial challenges facing Gobabis, particularly the municipality’s debt to Nampower and the potential for load-shedding. To mitigate these issues, the town encouraged residents to transition to prepaid water and electricity systems.

Tjozongoro reported significant progress in the implementation of prepaid water meters, with 45 pensioners in Gobabis and 25 households in the newly formalized Freedom Square and Promiseland residential areas benefiting from the rollout. The informal settlements of Epako and Nossobville also saw improvements, with the addition of communal water standpipes, bringing the total to 30 in these areas. The mayor expressed her desire to eliminate informal settlements in Gobabis.

She also highlighted the successful construction of around 73 houses by the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia’s savings group, with 16 more houses under construction on land provided by the municipality in the current fiscal year.

Addressing the town’s water conservation needs, Mayor Tjozongoro urged Gobabis residents to use water sparingly. She noted the uncertainty of future water availability, citing poor rainfall in the Omaheke region in recent years.