Ester Mbathera
The Swapo leadership in Oranjemund has until Thursday to settle approximately N$2 million in municipal debts, failing which they risk eviction from their offices.
This follows the party’s failure to pay a municipal debt since 2020.
The party was served with the eviction notice by the town council lawyers, Ileni Velikoshi Incorporated, on 21 May.
“Kindly vacate our client’s property within seven calendar days of receiving this letter. If you do not vacate our client’s property within seven days as herein demanded, our client will seek an appropriate ejectment, and you will be responsible for the cost,” reads the lawyer’s letter.
The town council terminated the lease agreement for the property on 11 April.
Swapo has been leasing a number of properties in the town through its business wing, Oranjemund Mouth Properties, which is also involved in cleaning and property renovations.
Established in 2006, the company took over the Swartkop hostel operations and several houses at Oranjemund from Namdeb to host Oranjemund Mouth Properties employees.
The houses were initially managed by Namibia Mineworkers Investment Company (Nam-mic Holdings Pty. Ltd.), but because of the distance between Oranjemund and Windhoek, its head office, it was decided that they be run locally through the Swapo district office.
When the current councillors took office in 2020, they discovered the company had a bill for over N$900 000 for water and electricity services.
According to the town mayor, Lookback Kasemba, despite several demands and promises to pay the debts, the party leaders at the time refused to settle the bill.
“This is not an election ploy, we have given them enough time, but they continue to ignore us. I have personally even sometimes delayed signing letters of demand to give them time to pay, but they just ignored us,” he said.
The Swapo district coordinator at Oranjemund Engelbrecht Jonathan did not respond to questions sent to him via WhatsApp, nor did he respond to phone calls.
The town council, through its debt collection policy, makes the necessary provisions for clients who are in arrears to make payment arrangements to settle their accounts.
In accordance with the credit control policy, the council transfers the client to debt collectors via its attorneys, who then take further legal and necessary actions until the defaulting party recovers and honours the debts.
Oranje Mouth Services CC was founded in 2006 by businessman Israel Kalenga and former council chairperson Toivo Auala to raise funds for the ruling party in the ||Kharas region.
