Erongo
Regional Council
The 13
Regional Councils in Namibia are part of the Ministry of
Regional and Local Government and Housing which is directly
responsible for the planning and administration of the 33
towns and villages in Namibia.
The
Regional Councils are governed by the Regional Councils Act
of 1992, the Townships and Division of Lands Ordinance of
1963, and the Town Planning Ordinance of 1954, all of which
provide the legislative base for the Regional Councils.
Out of
all tasks and responsibilities mentioned in the Regional
Council Act (no 22 of 1992) four particular tasks are
currently in reality transferred to the Regional Council:
-
to
assist and consult the central government on proposed
legislation and in its planning task;
-
to
play an initiating role in identifying settlement areas as
embryos for the establishment of local authorities;
-
to
advise the President, or any minister, on any matter
referred to it by the President and minister;
-
to
make recommendations to the Minister of Finance on matters
related to regions.
At the
moment the direct planning tasks of the Regional Council are
confined to the rural areas, while planning within the
municipal boundaries is the direct responsibility of the
Local Authorities. However, Part VI of the Act provides the
Regional Council with more co-ordinating responsibilities
relevant to the integrated development of the coastal
region. The status of the Governor is equal to that of the
Mayor.
In
Erongo, six regional councillors have been elected in the
following regional constituencies: Omaruru, Karibib,
Brandberg, Arandis, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. They are
responsible to their electorate, which makes it reasonable
to expect that they would have a more intimate knowledge of
the demands, needs and expectations of the electorate than
central government staff in Windhoek.
The
staff of the Erongo Regional Council includes regional
officers, who is responsible for the administrative
organisation of the regional councils office and controlling
officers dealing with technical issues.
