Okahandja RedForce contract to end in 2027

Okahandja leaves questions on roads and public meetings unanswered

The Okahandja Municipality has confirmed that its contract with debt-collection company RedForce will remain in force until 16 October 2027, but left several questions about the town’s roads and the council’s engagement with residents unanswered.

In responses to Windhoek Express, the municipality also explained its regulation of street vendors and the process governing the proposed write-off of outstanding water bills owed by pensioners and people with disabilities.

The council said vendors were temporarily being accommodated at a designated trading area opposite the railway station while it considered establishing a larger and more suitable open market.

The municipality is also engaging the Ministry of Works and Transport over a possible exchange of land involving Erf 59, which is centrally located.

Windhoek Express asked the municipality about vendors trading in front of shops and occupying pedestrian spaces, making it difficult for people to walk freely.

The council said barriers had been placed along sidewalks to discourage trading in pedestrian areas and direct vendors towards the designated site.

Approval pending

On outstanding water bills, the municipality said a written directive from urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa was formally forwarded to local authorities only on 19 August 2026, although information about the proposed intervention had circulated since around March.

According to the municipality, the written directive was required before it could compile and submit information on pensioners and people with disabilities who had outstanding water bills.

Sankwasa gave the municipality until 31 August 2026 to submit the information. The council said this meant approval for the write-off could not have been granted before the submission was completed.

The municipality said an earlier application to write off debt owed by pensioners, submitted during former minister Erastus Uutoni’s tenure, could not be approved because legal advice from the Office of the Attorney General was still outstanding.

It said the write-off would proceed only after the required approval had been received from the minister.

Roads and meetings

The municipality did not say when work to improve Okahandja’s roads would begin.

The question followed a directive reportedly issued by the deputy urban and rural development minister at the Okahandja Expo in May for the municipality to address deteriorating roads in the town and its residential areas.

The council also did not answer questions about the number of council meetings held so far this year. Local authority councils are expected to hold 11 ordinary meetings annually.

No explanation was provided about whether the two or three planned community meetings between the mayor and residents had taken place or, if not, why they had not been held.

However, Windhoek Express subsequently saw an announcement on the municipality’s social-media platforms indicating that community meetings were scheduled for 12 and 13 September.

One balance issue remains: if RedForce is mentioned in the headline or opening, the story should briefly explain what services it provides, when it was appointed and whether the council was asked about its performance or public complaints. Otherwise, the contract date feels detached from the rest of the story.