Member of Parliament and Leader and Chief Change Campaigner of the Landless People’s Movement (LPM), Bernadus Swartbooi said local tenders should be awarded to residents of that community.

During the opening address at day one of the three-day LPM annual councillors forum here on Friday, Swartbooi said local authorities must work for the benefit of local communities by making an effort to ensure that tenders in their community are given to their residents.

“Now I ask the local authorities, why do people from other towns and villages get tenders in your area for work that your own residents can effectively perform?” said Swartbooi.

He continued to say that the local authorities are expected to work with businesses within their community to form a partnership for socioeconomic opportunity and progress.

During the address Swartbooi also said that councillors should be more conscious of building relationships with their community and local businesses.

“The local councillors should go out and talk to the community and the businesses in their area,” he said.

He further emphasised that councillors should take time to visit their local schools to assess the quality of education provided to the community, adding that the public education system is failing.

“We recognise that our public education system has collapsed, and generations of Namibians will be undereducated unless a new government takes over,” he said.

Swartbooi added that how the government responds to this collapse at a local level will determine whether learners will have an edge in the marketplace.

The LPM annual councillors forum is set to end on Sunday.

(NAMPA)

Source: The Namibian Press Agency