Okahandja residents tired of waiting for answers

Okahandja residents say development in the town has stalled under its new mayor and council, with water, sanitation and land problems still unresolved, even as police and community members step up efforts to tackle crime.

Residents say they are growing frustrated with what they describe as a lack of progress since Mayor Ilena Mutumbulwa and the new council took office in December 2025. Their concerns include water and sanitation, the measurement of residential plots, conditions in informal settlements and the state of the town's cemeteries.

Elderly residents questioned what the mayor has done for the community, saying she has not held a meeting with residents. "Other towns' mayors are doing so much for their community members, but for us in Okahandja it is a dead case," one elderly resident said, asking not to be named.

In Klein Saamstaan, the frustration centres on basic services that affect daily life. Pensioner Rosaline Urises, who has lived there for more than 16 years, told Windhoek Express on Tuesday that she asked Mutumbulwa when the municipality would address water and sanitation problems and ensure plots were measured to the correct size.

Urises claimed the mayor told her the full council had not yet met, "so no discussion was done, and that can only be done if the full council sits". She said she was also told Klein Saamstaan would only be attended to next year. "We have been waiting for so long, now we must still wait for next year. This is very heartbreaking," she said.

Mutumbulwa did not respond to questions from Windhoek Express and referred the newspaper to the town's public relations officer. She neither confirmed nor denied the comments attributed to her.

Working with limited resources

Elsewhere, problems persist. Vyf Rand informal settlement has been described as resembling a small dumpsite, raising questions about sanitation and living conditions.

The municipality also told Windhoek Express three months ago that the town's cemeteries would only be cleaned after the rainy season, which was expected to end around August. The graveyards have reportedly still not been cleaned.

In response to questions sent by Windhoek Express, the municipality, through the chief executive's office, acknowledged concerns about poor sanitation and waste accumulation in Vyf Rand. It attributed the problem to waste collection delays amid operational challenges, saying only one waste collection truck is currently functional.

As a result, the truck may take up to two weeks to return to an area after it has been cleaned.

The municipality said it is engaging stakeholders to mobilise additional resources for a town-wide clean-up campaign and appealed to residents to use designated waste disposal points.

On road infrastructure, it said bitumen road maintenance has been planned for various roads in Nau-Aib and the town area. The work will include pothole repairs, crack filling and sealing, and slurry applications to protect road surfaces and prevent further deterioration. The municipality said the interventions would be carried out within available resources as part of its ongoing efforts to improve the town's road network.

Police, residents team up

While residents wait for answers on services, police and community members have been working to make the town safer. The Okahandja police are working closely with residents through community policing initiatives, with officers, neighbourhood watch members and residents patrolling on weekdays and weekends. Windhoek Express observed that patrols are particularly active in the early hours, when some residents are making their way to work.

The patrols follow concerns about residents being robbed on their way to work, and they show what cooperation between law enforcement and the community can achieve.

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