The Association of Local Authorities (ALAN) elected new members to lead the body for the next three years at its elective congress held at Oshakati over the weekend.

Outgoing ALAN president, Katrina Shimbulu, and vice-president, Gabriel Freyer, will be replaced by Samuel !Oe-Amseb and Hilde Jesaya as president and vice president, respectively.

In an interview with Nampa on the sidelines of the congress, Shimbulu expressed satisfaction with the groundwork her tenure had laid for the incoming administration that will be expected to continue playing an oversight role over the 57 local authorities throughout Namibia.

Among the successes, the outgoing ALAN president counts the stabilisation of ALAN’s financial books, the contracting of employees, as well as the warm rapport between ALAN and the Ministry of Urban and Urban Development as one of the highlights.

Shimbulu highlighted that ALAN’s thin revenue base – which is largely dependent on membership fees for its operations – is a major challenge, as some members abscond from membership payment.

The former ALAN president expressed confidence in the incoming elected leadership and called for unity of purpose for the association to grow in leaps and bounds.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency