Massive water debt relief for pensioners in Namibia’s south
Thousands of elderly Namibians in the ||Kharas and Hardap regions are set to breathe a sigh of relief as regional leaders ordered a full write-off of water debts owed by pensioners, both living and deceased.
Local authorities across Namibia’s southern regions have been instructed to write off all outstanding water debts owed by pensioners by the end of this year.
The directive, issued separately by the ||Kharas Regional Council and the Hardap Regional Council last week, marks one of the most sweeping debt-relief measures at municipal level in recent years.
In a circular dated 16 October, the Chairperson of the ||Kharas Regional Council, Joseph Isaack, instructed all local authority mayors, chairpersons and CEOs to “take decisive action to write off all outstanding water debts owed by pensioners, both living and deceased.”
He described the decision as “not only an act of goodwill but a legitimate exercise rooted in the Local Authorities Act, 1992,” adding that it was aligned with constitutional principles of social welfare and human dignity.
“Our pensioners are the pillars upon whose sacrifices our communities stand,” Isaack wrote.
“To demand payment for arrears they cannot afford... contradicts the principles of Vision 2030 and the Harambee Prosperity Plan. Local government exists not to punish the poor but to serve and empower them.”
The letter, circulated to all mayors and council chairpersons in the region, invoked Sections 30(1)(u) and 80(1) of the Local Authorities Act, which empower councils to remit or write off debts “in the best interest of the community".
The instruction further urged councils to identify all registered pensioners in arrears, table formal resolutions authorising the write-off, and record these resolutions in official minutes. Councils were also advised to “adopt standing resolutions exempting pensioners from future accumulation of arrears, especially on basic services such as water".
Immense burden
Just one day earlier, on 15 October, the Hardap Regional Council issued a parallel advisory, echoing the same moral and legal justifications.
In a letter signed by Francois Dausab, Chairperson of the Hardap Regional Council, local authorities were advised to write off municipal debts owed by pensioners “both living and deceased”, citing the financial struggles of the elderly and their families.
“Pensioners frequently act as the main, and sometimes only, source of income for entire unemployed families. This places an immense burden on the meagre grant, which must cover the needs of multiple people instead of just the pensioner," Dausab wrote.
The advisory, referencing Section 18A of the Regional Councils Act, also laid out a step-by-step procedure for implementation, from tabling council resolutions to clearing both capital and interest from the accounts, and finally, submitting detailed reports by the end of December 2025.
The directives come amid growing concern over Namibia’s widening inequality and rising cost of living, particularly in rural and low-income urban communities. Many pensioners, who receive a state old-age grant of N$1 400 per month, struggle to afford necessities such as water and electricity, often supporting extended families in the absence of formal employment.
Regional leaders have framed the debt forgiveness not as charity, but as restorative justice for a generation that built the nation. “Let us stand on the right side of history, showing compassion through action,” Isaack concluded in his directive.
Local authorities across Namibia’s southern regions have been instructed to write off all outstanding water debts owed by pensioners by the end of this year.
The directive, issued separately by the ||Kharas Regional Council and the Hardap Regional Council last week, marks one of the most sweeping debt-relief measures at municipal level in recent years.
In a circular dated 16 October, the Chairperson of the ||Kharas Regional Council, Joseph Isaack, instructed all local authority mayors, chairpersons and CEOs to “take decisive action to write off all outstanding water debts owed by pensioners, both living and deceased.”
He described the decision as “not only an act of goodwill but a legitimate exercise rooted in the Local Authorities Act, 1992,” adding that it was aligned with constitutional principles of social welfare and human dignity.
“Our pensioners are the pillars upon whose sacrifices our communities stand,” Isaack wrote.
“To demand payment for arrears they cannot afford... contradicts the principles of Vision 2030 and the Harambee Prosperity Plan. Local government exists not to punish the poor but to serve and empower them.”
The letter, circulated to all mayors and council chairpersons in the region, invoked Sections 30(1)(u) and 80(1) of the Local Authorities Act, which empower councils to remit or write off debts “in the best interest of the community".
The instruction further urged councils to identify all registered pensioners in arrears, table formal resolutions authorising the write-off, and record these resolutions in official minutes. Councils were also advised to “adopt standing resolutions exempting pensioners from future accumulation of arrears, especially on basic services such as water".
Immense burden
Just one day earlier, on 15 October, the Hardap Regional Council issued a parallel advisory, echoing the same moral and legal justifications.
In a letter signed by Francois Dausab, Chairperson of the Hardap Regional Council, local authorities were advised to write off municipal debts owed by pensioners “both living and deceased”, citing the financial struggles of the elderly and their families.
“Pensioners frequently act as the main, and sometimes only, source of income for entire unemployed families. This places an immense burden on the meagre grant, which must cover the needs of multiple people instead of just the pensioner," Dausab wrote.
The advisory, referencing Section 18A of the Regional Councils Act, also laid out a step-by-step procedure for implementation, from tabling council resolutions to clearing both capital and interest from the accounts, and finally, submitting detailed reports by the end of December 2025.
The directives come amid growing concern over Namibia’s widening inequality and rising cost of living, particularly in rural and low-income urban communities. Many pensioners, who receive a state old-age grant of N$1 400 per month, struggle to afford necessities such as water and electricity, often supporting extended families in the absence of formal employment.
Regional leaders have framed the debt forgiveness not as charity, but as restorative justice for a generation that built the nation. “Let us stand on the right side of history, showing compassion through action,” Isaack concluded in his directive.
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