Massive unpaid bills stall Rundu’s N$88m stormwater upgrade
• ‘Collective crisis’, CEO warns
As of June, residents owe the council around N$524.6 million in arrears, an increase of N$97 million from June 2024.
Phillipus JosefRundu
Rundu’s long-standing flooding nightmare is getting worse, with the town council warning that critical stormwater interventions – projected to exceed N$88 million – will remain out of reach unless residents start paying their municipal bills.
In a detailed written response to Namibian Sun, Rundu Town Council CEO Olavi Nathanael yesterday said the town’s stormwater collapse is no longer a simple infrastructure problem but a “collective crisis created by years of non-payment and illegal land allocation”.
Nathanael revealed that the council has studied the flash-flood-prone northern neighbourhoods since 2020, tabled disaster reports to the regional disaster risk management committee, and even sought funding from the Office of the Prime Minister but ultimately received no financial relief.
A new stormwater master plan compiled by Afri Consulting Engineers last November pegs the cost of addressing Rundu’s gullies, erosion and blocked drainage channels at over N$88 million.
Yet while the problems grow, so does the community’s debt.
“As at the end of June 2025, residents owed Council a total of N$524 629 220.76, an increase of N$97 035 592.76 from June 2024,” Nathanael said, stressing that the worst-affected flooding areas, like Kehemu and Sauyemwa, are also the highest debt contributors.
“If residents do not understand their roles in these matters, then it will take us time to entirely address the matter,” he added. “Addressing this matter is a collective matter, not through complaints, speeches or promises.”
Illegal land allocations
Beyond non-payment, Nathanael pointed to uncontrolled settlement growth driven not by “irregular settlers”, but by community leaders allocating land without legal authority.
“We have a problem with people allocating land to others, whether it is the traditional authorities, suburb committee members or people claiming ancestral ownership,” he explained.
Nathanael added that even after consultative workshops with traditional authority leaders, the practice persists, with law enforcement officers meeting resistance on the ground.
“This has been a challenge and nothing has come [from] it,” he said.
Unfair criticism
Responding to public anger over water outages during storms, the CEO said the council is being unfairly blamed for failures it does not have control over.
“When there is rain, water outages are caused by power outages,” he explained.
“NamPower feeds Nored. If NamPower can’t feed Nored, then Nored cannot distribute power to NamWater. Without power, NamWater’s pumps stop, and without their pumps, council cannot distribute water.”
Nathanael added that NamWater still has no backup generator, meaning a single power fault triggers a chain reaction affecting the entire town.
“We have engaged the parties to consider backup power, but the question of funds remains unanswered,” he said.
Millions budgeted
Council has made a N$3 million budgetary provision for immediate flood-related interventions.
Separately, it is upgrading infrastructure in Kehemu, Kaisosi, Ndama and Kasote through a N$75 million project that will “partially address stormwater issues”.
But without revenue, the CEO warned, there is no timeline for when major works can begin.
“The sooner the residents commit to their obligations, we will then provide them with the exact timelines. At this point, without funds available, we cannot commit to any timelines,” he said.
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Rundu’s long-standing flooding nightmare is getting worse, with the town council warning that critical stormwater interventions – projected to exceed N$88 million – will remain out of reach unless residents start paying their municipal bills.
In a detailed written response to Namibian Sun, Rundu Town Council CEO Olavi Nathanael yesterday said the town’s stormwater collapse is no longer a simple infrastructure problem but a “collective crisis created by years of non-payment and illegal land allocation”.
Nathanael revealed that the council has studied the flash-flood-prone northern neighbourhoods since 2020, tabled disaster reports to the regional disaster risk management committee, and even sought funding from the Office of the Prime Minister but ultimately received no financial relief.
A new stormwater master plan compiled by Afri Consulting Engineers last November pegs the cost of addressing Rundu’s gullies, erosion and blocked drainage channels at over N$88 million.
Yet while the problems grow, so does the community’s debt.
“As at the end of June 2025, residents owed Council a total of N$524 629 220.76, an increase of N$97 035 592.76 from June 2024,” Nathanael said, stressing that the worst-affected flooding areas, like Kehemu and Sauyemwa, are also the highest debt contributors.
“If residents do not understand their roles in these matters, then it will take us time to entirely address the matter,” he added. “Addressing this matter is a collective matter, not through complaints, speeches or promises.”
Illegal land allocations
Beyond non-payment, Nathanael pointed to uncontrolled settlement growth driven not by “irregular settlers”, but by community leaders allocating land without legal authority.
“We have a problem with people allocating land to others, whether it is the traditional authorities, suburb committee members or people claiming ancestral ownership,” he explained.
Nathanael added that even after consultative workshops with traditional authority leaders, the practice persists, with law enforcement officers meeting resistance on the ground.
“This has been a challenge and nothing has come [from] it,” he said.
Unfair criticism
Responding to public anger over water outages during storms, the CEO said the council is being unfairly blamed for failures it does not have control over.
“When there is rain, water outages are caused by power outages,” he explained.
“NamPower feeds Nored. If NamPower can’t feed Nored, then Nored cannot distribute power to NamWater. Without power, NamWater’s pumps stop, and without their pumps, council cannot distribute water.”
Nathanael added that NamWater still has no backup generator, meaning a single power fault triggers a chain reaction affecting the entire town.
“We have engaged the parties to consider backup power, but the question of funds remains unanswered,” he said.
Millions budgeted
Council has made a N$3 million budgetary provision for immediate flood-related interventions.
Separately, it is upgrading infrastructure in Kehemu, Kaisosi, Ndama and Kasote through a N$75 million project that will “partially address stormwater issues”.
But without revenue, the CEO warned, there is no timeline for when major works can begin.
“The sooner the residents commit to their obligations, we will then provide them with the exact timelines. At this point, without funds available, we cannot commit to any timelines,” he said.
[email protected]
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