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RESIDENTS of Katutura Central constituency have asked the City of Windhoek to write off their water debts.
They say they were promised free access to water in March 2020 for the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a letter addressed to the City of Windhoek in October 2021, residents expressed their dissatisfaction over their ever-increasing water bills.
Concerned resident Rosemary Ketjijere, who represents residents of the constituency, says there has been no response from the City of Windhoek since last year.
She says thousands of residents lost their jobs during the pandemic and others were forced to shut down their businesses.
“The city’s decision in March 2020 to provide free access to water for the masses in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus is commendable.
“However, some areas of the city, such as Katutura Central, got the short end of the stick as free water was only available to those who reside in the informal settlements,” Ketjijere says.
“Hence our request for the city to consider writing off the debt incurred since the first lockdown.
“Either that or consider instituting an economic state of emergency whereby those who have incurred debt during and after the lockdowns will be given a period of at least five years to settle their issues without the risk of service disconnection,” she says.
Ketjijere says apart from $750, which was advanced to affected citizens, the government did not do much to help remedy the situation.
The residents are further requesting the City of Windhoek to do away with middlemen when it comes to selling electricity.
“This has proven been costly for residents,” Ketjijere says.
City of Windhoek spokesperson Harold Akwenye this week said the city has received a directive from the government not to cut all residents’ water supply during Covid-19.
“The directive further indicated that we should keep the taps open in the informal settlement at the cost of the government.
“The government paid for the water usage by all in the informal settlement,” he said.
He said not all residents’ taps were disconnected, even though they were in debt at the City of Windhoek, but residents were responsible the water they used.
“In other words, you pay for what you use. It is the responsibility of all responsible residents to use water sparingly.
Having said the above, the city is not in a position to write off the water debts at this point in time,” Akwenye said.
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