Patience Makwele
Omaheke Governor Pijoo Nganate has defended the region’s development record, pointing to gains in agriculture, healthcare, housing and infrastructure while arguing that mining could become a pathway out of poverty for thousands of residents.
However, community members say many rural areas continue to see little change despite decades of government promises, warning that development remains concentrated around Gobabis while communal areas continue to lag behind.
Delivering his State of the Region Address (SORA) in Gobabis on Tuesday under the theme Unlocking Omaheke’s Industrial Potential through Mining and Manufacturing, Nganate said agriculture remains the backbone of the regional economy as it employs about 29% of the population while sustaining thousands of livelihoods.
He said government support through the agriculture ministry’s Dryland Crop Production Programme expanded cultivated land from 500 hectares to more than 800 hectares during the latest farming season, with 600 hectares directly supported through government tractors and private tractor subsidies.
“The total area under crop production increased from 500 to above 800 hectares this year,” Nganate said.
Although maize and cowpea production performed well, he acknowledged that the rise of armyworm and armoured cricket infestations significantly reduced yields in some areas.
The governor said the region also deployed 17 government tractors for the first time, creating employment for 17 tractor operators and another 118 Namibians who participated in weeding groups.
He further highlighted improvements in healthcare infrastructure, including the installation of a N$1.48 million backup generator at Gobabis District Hospital, electrical upgrades at health facilities, rehabilitation of the hospital entrance and maintenance work involving plumbing, glazing, flooring and window replacements.
Housing delivery also featured prominently in the address.
Nganate said 54 houses had been completed under the Build Together Programme in Epukiro, Tallismanus and Aminuis, while additional units are under construction in Eiseb and Tallismanus.
He also urged residents to support mining projects as a catalyst for economic growth, citing the proposed uranium project near Leonardville and copper deposits around Witvlei.
“The people of Leonardville are looking at this mine as their only way to move out of poverty, to move out of unemployment and to move out of their misery,” he said, adding that the government would base any final decision on scientific findings and environmental assessments.
He further appealed to landowners to engage constructively on future mining developments.
“We cannot talk about our farms and our privacy while other people are dying next to those resources. It is ungodly. It is un-Christian. We cannot do it,” Nganate said.
However, community activist and communal farmer Philip Prinze said the governor’s assessment did not reflect the reality experienced by many residents living outside the region’s main urban centres.
“If I could say, Omaheke starts 100 kilometres outside Windhoek,” Prinze said.
“What I’ve heard is basically development that has happened beyond Gobabis. The constituencies before Gobabis, nothing is happening there for the local people.”
He singled out communal farming areas around Witvlei and neighbouring constituencies, saying unemployment remains high while many residents have yet to benefit from government programmes.
Prinze said communal farmers face structural disadvantages because they lease grazing camps instead of owning commercial farms, making it difficult to benefit from agricultural support initiatives.
“We have approached the governor’s office about the resettlement programme but we have been looking at this for 36 years and nothing is happening for us in Witvlei,” he said.
He also criticised delays in completing the Witvlei water treatment plant, saying the project has remained unfinished for more than a decade.
“If it was finished, we could have benefited from irrigation but nothing is happening. We write letters to the President, we speak through the media but nothing is happening.”
Prinze also questioned whether the region’s industrial ambitions would translate into jobs for local communities.
“There was a mine in Witvlei that closed a few months ago. People who were employed there are sitting at home now,” he said.
“The governor has good dreams and good plans but without action and empowering people at grassroots level, this is just lip service.”
Despite his criticism, Prinze acknowledged that government programmes have delivered some improvements.
“Work is being done slowly but surely,” he said. “But where I live, there is very little change.”
Nganate said continued investment in agriculture, healthcare, housing, youth development, infrastructure and industrialisation would remain central to the region’s development agenda as the government seeks to unlock Omaheke’s economic potential.
