New CEO to make ‘Rundu great again’
RUNDU - Rundu mayor Gabriel Kanyanga on Monday welcomed new Rundu CEO Olavi Nathanael, who has promised to make the local authority “great again”.
The CEO position has been vacant since July 2018 after the previous council felt they didn’t want to renew the previous CEO’s contract due to alleged corruption.
The council also welcomed Ana Kalyangu as the new strategic executive for corporate services this week.
Kanyanga told the new CEO that the Rundu Town Council is full of challenges, but that they are there to deal with those challenges as a team. Rundu has a heap of challenges from poor road conditions, water shortages and poor waste management, to name but a few. “And we have to face them, there’s no way that we have to give excuses,” the mayor stated.
Kanyanga said when they came into office, they were welcomed by an acting CEO, but were now glad that the position has finally been filled.
“The position was vacant since July 2018, and several people have been acting in that capacity. That was a challenge for the town, but today we are talking about having an accountable person in the office, and the right person has arrived today to take over this particular office for the next five years.
“We are so happy, and we believe that as from today onwards, the office will run smoothly. I would like to extend my appreciation to those who have been acting in this particular office as well as the office of the strategic executive for corporate services”, he continued.
Kanyanga implored council staff to render cooperation to the new colleagues for them to take full charge for progress’ sake.
Nathanael was upbeat about the task ahead.
“I am very happy to be here to serve the town in which I was born. I made a decision to come because of the love I have for this town. As the mayor said, we cannot make excuses not to perform due to the situation our town is in. Our task is simple, which is to pick up the pieces together and make Rundu great again,” he said.
“As we move along, we will look at the council’s plans, review and revise what needs to be revised, and then restructure our plan, moving forward.
“We will do monitoring and evaluation quarterly, biannually and yearly to see our progress, and that will be the basis under which we can evaluate our performance”, he promised.
The new CEO will be required to also sign a performance agreement as per directive of the line ministry.
Nathanael was the finance manager at the Karibib Town Council, and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, majoring in banking and finance.