Lela Mobile Online - Keetmanshoop has the potential for development: Christiaan
Keetmanshoop has the potential for development: Christiaan
06 Sep 2019 19:10pm
KEETMANSHOOP, 06 SEP (NAMPA)  Keetmanshoop has water, people and land as primary resources to initiate development for the town, Economic Development Senior Manager at the town municipality, Jegg Christiaan has said.
Christiaan said this during a business seminar here on Thursday.
The seminar held under the theme Unlocking new opportunities through smart partnerships took place alongside the 2019 Keetmanshoop Agriculture, Industrial and Tourism Expo which started Tuesday and ends Saturday.
Christiaan said there is plenty of water available as far as resources are concerned, but what hinders the municipality is the cost of getting the water to its consumers.
Water needs to be transported from the Naute Dam and that costs too much as NamWater charges us N.dollars 19 per cubic metre and this forces us to charge our customers a lot for water; we do have water available but the cost of getting that water is expensive, he said.
Christiaan also highlighted that the cost of servicing the land is also expensive for the municipality.
He went on to say that there currently are 30 000 people in Keetmanshoop that have the potential to develop the town, however he was quick to point out that these people are mostly under-skilled and poor.
Many of these people come from the rural areas to find employment to provide for themselves and their families and if they do not find jobs, they are exposed to crime in order to get something to survive on, said Christiaan.
He added that those from rural areas become vulnerable in the urban areas because life becomes expensive for them and they cannot afford basic services.
They come from rural areas where life is cheap and come to urban areas and start demanding services such as water, electricity, health care and toilets but they are unable to pay for these services as they are unemployed.
The senior municipal manager said what is needed is for those unskilled people to be able to acquire skills, for them to be able to explore the two other resources which are water and land.
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