Allexer Namundjembo
The City of Windhoek council is set to rename Rand street in Khomasdal after veteran liberation figure and diplomat Joshua //Hoebeb.
A proposal tabled before council on Thursday during its first meeting for the year recommends that the 2.06-kilometre road linking Khomasdal and Katutura be renamed ambassador Joshua //Hoebeb Street.
This is in recognition of his role in Namibia’s liberation struggle, diplomacy and public service.
//Hoebeb served as Namibia’s first high commissioner to South Africa and took part in the negotiations that led to the reintegration of Walvis Bay into Namibia in 1994.
He later served as high commissioner to Botswana and as governor of the Kunene region.
He was also Swapo’s first chief whip in the Constituent Assembly in 1990.
According to the council submission, Rand Street was chosen for its symbolic value, as it links Khomasdal and Katutura, two suburbs shaped by apartheid-era spatial separation.
Addressing the meeting, Windhoek mayor Sakarias Uunona said the new council was committed to governing with care, respect and service to residents.
“People do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care,” Uunona said.
He said the council’s work under his leadership would be guided by values rather than political convenience.
“Respect will be our compass and service will be our duty,” he said.
Uunona said the street renaming forms part of a wider effort by the council to honour national contributors and to build a city based on unity and shared values.
“Let us go forward together, united in purpose and guided by the spirit of Ubuntu and common purpose,” he said.
