Outjo: The Municipality of Outjo on Friday inaugurated its new local authority leadership at its municipal council chambers, where Bartholomeus Aibeb from the Outjo Residents Association (ORA) was elected as the new mayor.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Aibeb, who previously served as the Strategic Executive Officer for Corporate Services at the municipality until 2018, will now lead the town's council. Joining him in leadership, Martha Seibes from the United Democratic Front (UDF) will serve as the Deputy Mayor of Outjo. The Management Committee will be chaired by Pieter Mostert, with Pieter Pretorious and Maria Horases as fellow members. Laurence Kandundu and Belinda Guruses have been appointed as ordinary members of the council.

In his acceptance speech, Aibeb emphasized his primary focus on effective service delivery for Outjo's residents. He expressed gratitude to the citizens for their trust in the new council and highlighted that their mandate is centered on improving the town's services. "The elected members have heard and listened attentively to your call for proper, effective, and efficient service delivery," Aibeb stated.

Aibeb announced that the newly elected council would review reports from their predecessors to identify and address any shortcomings, ensuring that service delivery is not influenced by party or association affiliations. "We are not aligning our promised service delivery programs only for ORA residents. We are here as a unit aiming to reach a common goal," he asserted.

Furthermore, Aibeb pointed out the urgent need to address the absence of a chief executive officer, stating, "We cannot operate our activities without a CEO." The new mayor's commitment to unbiased and efficient service delivery aims to positively impact the daily lives of all Outjo residents.