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Lahja Nashuuta
The City of Windhoek has come under fire for failing to implement a council resolution to extend debt relief to elderly residents.
Under Resolution 29/11/2023, passed on 30 November 2023, the City Council committed to writing off both capital and interest on pensioners’ accounts, on condition the pensioners applied for the installation of pre-paid water and electricity meters.
However, New Era has learnt that nearly 90% of pensioners are yet to benefit from this proposed relief.
No meters have been procured or installed for them.
According to a petition handed over to the City of Windhoek yesterday through the Khomas Ratepayers and Residents Association, pensioners demanded the immediate and unconditional write-off of all their debts, in line with the original intent of the 19 July 2023 recommendations, which aimed “to empower residents to meet their municipal obligations,” the group said in the petition.
They also called on the city to extend this debt relief to pensioners living in the 43 Built Together housing groups.
Social justice activist Shaun Gariseb, speaking on behalf of the association, emphasised that the lack of pre-paid meters continues to trap pensioners in spiralling municipal debt.
“Pensioners are often instructed to pay only their current bill while historic debts continue to accumulate.
If a single payment is missed, their services are disconnected without warning,” Gariseb said.
Pensioner groups further demanded that the City dismantles what they termed outdated Built Together housing model, describing it as exploitative and no longer fit for purpose.
“The Built Together model is not working anymore and must be done away with. Everyone under this model wants title deeds and ownership of their accounts. Most of these people paid off this land a long time ago. We know the City of Windhoek is not responsible for title deeds, but it has influence over the main bottleneck that prevents ownership: the mounting municipal debt,” the petition reads.
Through the petition, the group argued that these debts make it difficult for Built Together group members in Windhoek to apply for sectional titles from the Township Board.
“We are writing to the line minister and the Township Board to propose the ultimate once-off solution to liberate about 10 000 people under this model,” Gariseb said.
The affected communities proposed a one-off special dispensation to write off all debts under the Built Together scheme and transfer ownership of municipal accounts to individuals, thereby enabling families to finally obtain title deeds.
Given that the national government has allocated more than N$700 million in the 2025/26 financial year to formalise informal settlements, the group urged the City to align its solutions for the Built Together model with broader national efforts.
“We request a written commitment from the City to provide residents with individual municipal accounts. With such a commitment, we will approach the Township Board and national government to advocate a one-off dispensation that could finally free our people,” the petition further reads.
The petitioners also raised serious concerns over poor coordination between the City’s Electricity Department and Debt Management Department, which residents say has led to confusion and unnecessary costs.
In a letter dated 19 May 2025, pensioner groups described an incident involving Philomina Mosimane, head of debt management, who allegedly expelled community activists from her office after they queried why a woman who paid N$20 000 still had no services restored.
“There is no communication between departments. Residents are not informed
about outstanding penalties like tampering fines before they make large payments. As a result, people take out loans to pay municipal bills, only to discover that they still owe money. This is a debt trap,” said community activist Rosa Namises.
Namises, who also endorsed the petition, proposed the city establishes a formal communication link between departments to cross-check for penalties before accepting large payments and to ensure full transparency in billing.
Concerns
Another critical issue raised involves the scheduled relocation of 387 households from Otjomuise and 8ste Laan to Okapale on 31 July 2025. Community members accused the city of moving people to an area without basic infrastructure or essential services.
According to the petition, the area where people were relocated has no police presence, poor road conditions that prevent ambulance access and no street lighting.
The area is also reportedly overcrowded, with two families being allocated just 200 square metres, repeating past planning failures in informal settlements.
The group threatened to move people back to Otjomuise if the city council fails to take services to the Okapale residents.
“If the city fails to meet our demands by 31 July, we will begin moving people back to Otjomuise starting 1 September 2025,” the group warned.
The petition was received by acting CEO and strategic executive for electricity Obrien Hekandjo on behalf of the City council.
Hekandjo promised to attend to the plight of the elderly and revert within two days.
–lnashuuta@nepc.com.na
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