Kuugongelwa-Amadhila calls for immediate action against GBV

NKURENKURU, 21 MAR (NAMPA) - National Assembly Speaker Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has called for immediate action against gender-based violence (GBV), saying the country cannot allow the current levels of abuse against women and children.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila at the 36th Independence commemoration in Nkurenkuru in the Kavango West Region on Saturday, said GBV must be met with both law and community resolve.
"I must say that the current levels of gender-based violence and violence against children in our country are unacceptable. As a nation, we cannot progress while women and children live in fear," she stressed.
The Speaker urged authorities to apply the full force of the law where necessary and with the full moral weight of communities to protect vulnerable citizens, through coordinated action between police, judicial structures and traditional leaders.
On regional development priorities, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said infrastructure projects in Kavango West are central to improving services and livelihoods, including the construction of the Nkurenkuru Regional Hospital, which remains an urgent priority.
She called for accelerated planning and funding to turn the long-standing proposal into reality.
The Speaker further noted that despite progress in the improvements of water access and the commissioning of telecommunication towers, gaps remain, and called on the government, private sector and communities to work together to ensure health services, education and economic opportunities reach all households.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila linked service delivery to broader goals of economic transformation and encouraged farmers to move from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture and prepare youth with market skills to benefit from new investments.
She emphasised that the freedoms commemorated on Independence Day must translate into measurable improvements in the daily life for Namibians in Kavango West and beyond.
Kavango West Regional Council Chairperson and Nkurenkuru Councillor Fillipus Tenga, in his closing remarks, welcomed the Speaker’s stance.
Tenga said a regional hospital would reduce travel time for patients and ease pressure on existing facilities while creating jobs in construction and health services. He also urged faster implementation and transparent allocation of resources.
(NAMPA)
JLN/EK/AS