Windhoek ramps up road repairs
•Doing their best despite tight budget
Elizabeth KheibesWindhoek
The Windhoek municipal council has approved an accelerated pothole repair action plan as the capital braces for the start of the rainy season, amid warnings that the city’s road network is deteriorating faster than it can be maintained.
According to a technical report tabled before councillors on Monday, the bulk of Windhoek’s 883 kilometres of paved roads have exceeded their design lifespan, leaving the City with a substantial maintenance deficit. Currently, 16% of road surfaces and 18% of structural layers are classified as being in poor to deplorable condition.
Officials say decades of inadequate maintenance, high traffic volumes, poor drainage, ageing pavements and climate variability have created a cycle in which potholes re-emerge faster than they can be repaired.
The estimated cost of addressing the full backlog in flexible pavements now stands at N$2.67 billion, far beyond the City’s existing financial capacity.
The capital’s funding constraints are not new.
In September, City officials clarified that the widely circulated N$324 million needed for pothole rehabilitation reflected the projected cost of rain-related damage, not money available for immediate use.
At the time, spokesperson Lydia Amutenya said the actual funds committed to road repairs stood at just N$30 million.
“The N$324 million referred to in May was the projected cost of road infrastructure damage assessed after the rainy season, not the amount of funds currently available to the City,” she confirmed. “This figure represents what the City requires to comprehensively rehabilitate damaged road infrastructure across Windhoek.”
Ongoing work Two contractors, engaged at a combined value of N$15 million, have since had their contracts extended for a further three months, with work continuing across several suburbs.
Roads in the CBD, including Kasch, Schuster, Wecke, Posts, Vogelsang, Kelvin and Marconi, have been attended to, alongside key routes in Hochland Park, Eros, Auasblick, Dorado Valley, Klein Kuppe and parts of the eastern suburbs. However, many streets remain in poor condition.
Hard at work
To date, municipal teams have repaired over 36 135 potholes across Windhoek’s roads. The newly approved action plan aims to scale up these efforts by prioritising hazardous and high-traffic corridors as rainfall intensifies.
City engineers warn that such repairs, while necessary, are ultimately temporary. Without sustained investment, the network will continue to degrade at an accelerating rate.
Amutenya reiterated the City’s commitment to tackling the damage within its limited budget and to mobilising additional resources to close the estimated N$324 million gap. Residents are encouraged to report potholes through official channels to help prioritise repair works.
The Windhoek municipal council has approved an accelerated pothole repair action plan as the capital braces for the start of the rainy season, amid warnings that the city’s road network is deteriorating faster than it can be maintained.
According to a technical report tabled before councillors on Monday, the bulk of Windhoek’s 883 kilometres of paved roads have exceeded their design lifespan, leaving the City with a substantial maintenance deficit. Currently, 16% of road surfaces and 18% of structural layers are classified as being in poor to deplorable condition.
Officials say decades of inadequate maintenance, high traffic volumes, poor drainage, ageing pavements and climate variability have created a cycle in which potholes re-emerge faster than they can be repaired.
The estimated cost of addressing the full backlog in flexible pavements now stands at N$2.67 billion, far beyond the City’s existing financial capacity.
The capital’s funding constraints are not new.
In September, City officials clarified that the widely circulated N$324 million needed for pothole rehabilitation reflected the projected cost of rain-related damage, not money available for immediate use.
At the time, spokesperson Lydia Amutenya said the actual funds committed to road repairs stood at just N$30 million.
“The N$324 million referred to in May was the projected cost of road infrastructure damage assessed after the rainy season, not the amount of funds currently available to the City,” she confirmed. “This figure represents what the City requires to comprehensively rehabilitate damaged road infrastructure across Windhoek.”
Ongoing work Two contractors, engaged at a combined value of N$15 million, have since had their contracts extended for a further three months, with work continuing across several suburbs.
Roads in the CBD, including Kasch, Schuster, Wecke, Posts, Vogelsang, Kelvin and Marconi, have been attended to, alongside key routes in Hochland Park, Eros, Auasblick, Dorado Valley, Klein Kuppe and parts of the eastern suburbs. However, many streets remain in poor condition.
Hard at work
To date, municipal teams have repaired over 36 135 potholes across Windhoek’s roads. The newly approved action plan aims to scale up these efforts by prioritising hazardous and high-traffic corridors as rainfall intensifies.
City engineers warn that such repairs, while necessary, are ultimately temporary. Without sustained investment, the network will continue to degrade at an accelerating rate.
Amutenya reiterated the City’s commitment to tackling the damage within its limited budget and to mobilising additional resources to close the estimated N$324 million gap. Residents are encouraged to report potholes through official channels to help prioritise repair works.
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