Sostenus Wilherm
The City of Windhoek has refused to publicly engage on several issues raised in a petition organised by social justice activists Shaun Gariseb and Michael Amushelelo on land, governance, accountability, and service delivery.
The council said the matters involve internal administrative and governance processes.
The municipality’s position has sparked renewed criticism from the activists, who accuse the local authority of using internal procedures and legislation to avoid public scrutiny and accountability on matters affecting Windhoek residents.
In a letter dated 2 October, Windhoek mayor Sakarias Uunona acknowledged receipt of the petition handed over on 28 September and said the municipality had taken note of its concerns, allegations, proposals, and demands.
However, Uunona said some of the issues raised fall within the powers, duties, and functions of the council under Section 14 of the Local Authorities Act, 1992.
“In view thereof, and having regard to the legislative and administrative framework governing the affairs of the Local Authority, the city is not in a position to engage in discussions or deliberations with external parties on matters of internal administrative nature,” Uunona said.
He further stated that some of the issues were subject to established internal council processes and procedures that are confidential.
Uunona also said formal feedback on a deputation presented to council by the //Khomas Residents and Ratepayers Association would be provided once council had taken a final decision.
As the organiser of the petition, Gariseb, who was delegated to respond on behalf of the two, told the Windhoek Observer on Tuesday that the City of Windhoek was using internal administrative processes as a shield against public scrutiny.
Gariseb dismissed the council’s response, arguing that matters concerning residents should not be shielded from public scrutiny simply because they fall under internal administrative processes.
“The biggest excuse deployed by badly managed institutions to hide transparency is to say the matters raised are internal administrative and governance matters,” Gariseb said.
He argued that the municipality’s position highlights what they regard as the continued absence of effective access to public information, pointing to the Access to Information Act 8 of 2022, which they said has not yet commenced.
“We don’t buy that empty response from the City of Windhoek,” he said, arguing that issues affecting Windhoek residents should not be discussed in secrecy.
The activist also questioned spending by local authorities, particularly expenditure they allege is being directed towards staff wellness activities while residents continue to face serious challenges such as homelessness and inadequate basic services.
Gariseb specifically referred to an alleged N$3.3 million expenditure by the City of Windhoek on games outside the country, questioning whether such spending could be morally justified while some residents lack basic facilities.
“Some of the decisions taken by the City of Windhoek may be legal in terms of established procedures, but that does not make them morally justifiable,” Gariseb said.
The activist further accused the municipality of failing to address the service-delivery concerns contained in their petition, saying the city’s response focused on administrative procedures instead of the substance of the complaints.
“The city has not addressed anything on service delivery,” he said, accusing the municipality of avoiding accountability and attempting to shift responsibility.
He also challenged the city’s reliance on Section 14 of the Local Authorities Act, arguing that other provisions of the same legislation provide residents with avenues to raise matters of public interest.
“Section 88(b) of the same legal framework gives residents and public members the right to submit issues of public interest through formal notice and to be provided with a response,” Gariseb said.
The activist accused the city of selectively applying the law, arguing that it invokes provisions supporting internal procedures while allegedly overlooking provisions that facilitate public participation.
Gariseb said they were prepared to mobilise a payment boycott if their concerns were not addressed, although they stressed that their intention was not to cripple the municipality.
They are also calling for intervention from the line minister James Sankwasa, particularly over issues they say require political oversight.
“We expect the minister to intervene in the CEO’s travels although the minister only has control over council; he can call the municipality to order,” he said.
The activist also raised concerns over the municipality’s interpretation and implementation of a debt write-off directive, saying they welcomed the minister’s visits to vendors in various areas and hoped this would result in action.
Gariseb warned that if no meaningful intervention comes from Sankwasa, they could escalate their concerns to the President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
He further called for an investigation into the council’s procurement department, alleging corruption and saying the chief executive officer had also been mentioned in connection with the concerns.
