By Hilja Shikongo

This weekend, Otavi will host the Mayoral Committee 2025, a vibrant community event combining music, sports, and social development. More than just a festival, the initiative is designed to raise funds for the mayor’s kitty resources that allow the office to respond to social and economic challenges faced by residents, from funeral assistance to community welfare needs.
Speaking to Confidente Newspaper, Otavi mayor Isaac Hoaeb explained that the Mayoral Kitty Committee is a lifeline for many vulnerable people. 

“The mayor is always receiving requests for help. For the mayor to meet some of these challenges, the mayor’s back needs funds and resources,” Hoaeb said. The event will also serve as the platform to relaunch the Otavi Dream, a vision for a better and sustainably developed town. The Dream focuses on six pillars: asset-based community development, ownership, participation, sustainable development, holistic community growth, and unity. 

“The town does not belong to the council, not to the mayor, not even to the government,” Hoaeb said. “The town belongs to everyone in Otavi. We should own the challenges, but also the solutions.” The programme kicks off Thursday with a youth conference expected to draw about 200 young people. Service providers, motivational speakers, and even a reformed ex-inmate will address pressing issues such as crime, drug abuse, and opportunities for youth empowerment. 

“Nobody should sit on the pavilion watching others play. Everyone from Otavi should find their place and play for the team,” the mayor said, urging youth to step up as leaders of the community’s future. On Friday morning, a business gala brunch will bring together corporates and institutions to pledge support to the mayor’s kitty (Committee) and the Otavi Dream. That evening, the energy shifts to entertainment with a star-studded music concert featuring Dixon, Slaughterhouse, and a host of Otavi’s local talent.
Saturday will see sports take centre stage, with soccer, netball, volleyball, and basketball tournaments drawing the community together before another night of live music. 

Sunday’s finals will close the weekend, leaving behind not just winners in sports, but a stronger sense of identity and unity.
Inclusivity is at the heart of the event, with free tickets allocated to disadvantaged groups, including youth living with disabilities. “We are not going to be divided by tribe, politics, or religion,” Hoaeb said. 

“We should all hold hands under one identity that of Otavi. When we come together, when we say we are one, then real development can happen.” For many, Mayoral Kitty (Committee) 2025 will be more than a weekend of fun it will be a symbol of resilience, unity, and a renewed commitment to building a town where everyone belongs.