Community shuts bar

The City Police on Tuesday closed a bar in Katutura after community members petitioned the Katutura Magistrate''s Court for its closure.
The court granted approval for the closure of OTT Entertainment Bar in the “Gemengde” residential area in Katutura.
Among their complaints, residents said bar patrons block the entrances to their houses, block access to the street and generate noise pollution.
City of Windhoek (CoW) town planning officer, Marks Karongee told the media on Tuesday that numerous complaints were received with regards to the operations of the bar by the affected neighbours.
The bar was also operating without a liquor licence.
“The bar was, however, issued with a fitness certificate that allows for their operations along with the liquor licence. Due to the fact that the liquor licence was not approved, we are revoking their fitness certificate,” Karongee noted.
The owner of the bar was not available for comment.
Karongee said the bar is not the first to be closed due to complaints by community members.
Fabian Amukwelele of the City Police’s Community Policing and Public Relations Division told the media on the same day that the CoW is running a campaign to educate residents on bylaws.
The campaign will address issues of noise pollution, dog control and drinking in public areas.
“We are intensifying this operation especially this month. We are going to different bars to look for all the bylaw transgressions,” said Amukwelele.
He said they have found many bars and shebeens, where the owners do not have fitness certificates or have expired certificates, while some are not registered.
“In such cases, we close them down,” Amukwelele noted.
NAMPA