Martin Endjala
The Keetmanshoop Town Council has announced an interest waiver amnesty initiative to assist residents settle outstanding municipal service account debts.
The initiative was made public in a notice issued on 15 January 2024, seen by the Windhoek Observer.
According to the notice, the amnesty will allow residents to settle their outstanding capital balances without accruing interest charges.
The amnesty will run from 1 August 2024 to 31 May 2025.
During this period, residents, who pay off their capital debt, will have the interest on their accounts waived by 100%.
“This initiative aims to provide residents with an opportunity to bring their accounts up to date and improve the financial standing of the municipality,” read the notice.
Residents are further encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity and clear their accounts within the prescribed time period.
Keetmanshoop public relations officer Nuusiku Imene said the participation from residents has been positive as queries have increased regarding the amnesty since it was published.
”This estimation is based on the number of residents participating in the waiver programme and will be better known on 31 May,” she said.
Nuusiku said all residents, including pensioners, are eligible to apply.
“At the moment, it is difficult to determine or provide data on how many people have applied so far, as the council is still gathering data and continues to do so,” she explained.
This is not the first amnesty the council has carried out.
In 2021, the council approved a four-month amnesty period, from 1 December 2021 to 31 March 2022, for family members to register all deceased pensioners owning properties at Keetmanshoop.
At the time, pensioners’ debt had reached N$6.8 million by the end of October 2021.
One of the main contributing factors was families’ reluctance to inform the council of a pensioner’s death so they could continue benefiting from reduced pensioner tariffs.
In 2023, the council embarked on an aggressive campaign to recover millions of dollars in outstanding municipal water debt, totalling N$212 million in unpaid water bills.
Keetmanshoop acting CEO Lee Mwembe revealed that residents have racked up water bills of N$127 million, while government institutions and businesses owe N$85 million.
Of the more than 9 000 active customers, only 2 257 are paying their monthly water bills.
