RUNDU – Kavango East governor Hamunyera Hambyuka wants Namibia and Angola to revisit discussions for a permanent bridge linking Namibia and Angola at Rundu.
This is because the high demand at the current temporary floating bridge shows a permanent structure is necessary.
The said floating bridge was erected in 2014.
In urging for renewed bilateral talks with Angola, Hambyuka is pushing for a speedy construction of a permanent bridge at Rundu, citing unsustainable pressure on the current temporary floating bridge and the need to boost SADC trade. Following a cleanup operation at the site last Friday, Hambyuka confirmed that Angola is prepared to resume negotiations, aiming to advance the 2015 memorandum of understanding (MoU) that promised to replace temporary structures with three permanent bridges across the Kavango River.
“The conversation regarding the permanent bridge will take long, but I have been informed that the previously established committee regarding the establishment of a permanent bridge is still around, and I have also asked the consul general of the Angolan consulate in Rundu to see if their officials who were part of the committee are also around so that we can continue the discussion, and they said they are also around,” Hambyuka noted.
In March 2015, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, and her then counterpart, then Angolan minister of external relations George Chicoty, signed an MoU for the two countries to build three bridges across the Kavango River.
The MoU, signed at the southern Angolan town of Calai, will see the construction of three bridges to further connect the two countries.
Nandi-Ndaitwah at that time said the signing of the MoU was very important in the economic and social development of the two neighbours, as it will facilitate the construction of the bridge that will link Rundu and Calai, the second between Nkurenkuru and Forte Kwangali, while the third bridge will be constructed in the Gciriku area of Ndiyona.
“We are very much convinced that once the bridges are constructed, they will not only increase trade and communication between our two countries but will also have a great impact on SADC’s grand development of the region. At the same time, as you know, the African Union has also adopted Agenda 2063, which is a vision of development of the African continent. There is great emphasis on infrastructure development, and bridges are part of the infrastructure we are looking for,” said Nandi-Ndaitwah.
Chicoty said it was a great honour to finally sign the long-awaited MoU that would at that time pave the way for the construction of three permanent bridges across the Kavango River.
“It has been the desire of the two heads of state to see this realised. The three governors of the three regions where the construction will take place will work together to speed up construction work. The bridges will boost our economies, as these are major developments in terms of business and other matters the bridges will facilitate,” said Chicoty.
The bridges will provide easy access to the movement of goods and people. The construction period was yet to be announced after the MoU was signed in 2015.
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