Ondangwa to waive interest for residents

Starting today, the Ondangwa town council will waive all interest accumulated by residents for a period of one year.

This will apply to residents who clear their accounts from now until September 2024, council spokesperson Petrina Shitalangaho-Mutikisha said.

Ondangwa residents owe the council a total of N$85 million for municipal services, she added.

The town council’s debts increased rapidly due to the economic downturn coupled with severe effects of Covid-19, Shitalangaho-Mutikisha said, adding that they have also taken note that some residents lost their employment and income due to the closure of some businesses during the pandemic.

“[Some] employees have been retrenched, limiting the household's disposable income. This has also affected their purchasing power and residents’ ability to pay their municipal services in full. This has resulted in council receiving requests from customers who are in arrears for assistance.”

Relief programme

According to Shitalangaho-Mutikisha, the council employed the services of a debt-collection company to help make a fair and informed analysis and recommendation on how to deal with the growing debts.

She added that this interest waiver is not applicable to government offices, ministries and agencies, or state-owned enterprises.

This is not the first time the Ondangwa town council is introducing a relief programme for its residents.

In the 2021/2022 financial year - during its sixth ordinary meeting in 2021, for a period of 12 months - the council exempted people in informal areas from paying connection fees for sewer and water services for a period of one year.

Shitalangaho-Mutikisha said the aim of these exercises is to help residents who were hard-hit by the pandemic and the negative economic conditions associated with it.

She urged residents to make use of this opportunity to settle their debts.