City cries for help over water bill

OGONE TLHAGE WINDHOEK Ivan Skrywer, a Landless People’s Movement (LPM) councillor for the City of Windhoek, says the ministry of urban and rural development shares responsibility when it comes to local authorities faced with sky-high utility bills.This after the ministry issued a directive in March 2020 that local authorities were not allowed to disconnect defaulting residents’ water accounts during the Covid-19 state of emergency in a measure to help fight the pandemic.However, 21 months after the directive was issued, local authorities now face the task of having to foot the bill for free water.The City of Windhoek currently owes bulk national water supplier NamWater N$90 million, and in a recent interview with Namibian Sun, Skrywer said there was a need for the matter to be dealt with jointly by the City and the ministry.“As much as they were involved in giving the directive to the City, beyond the directive, somebody needs to come back and say ‘these are the financial implications caused by the directive; what will we do going forward?’ It can’t be the City alone when it comes to the financial implications of a directive that was given by a ministry,” he said.According to him, an urgent meeting should be held with urban and rural development minister Utoni Erastus to discuss potential solutions to the matter.“We want an urgent meeting with the minister so that the minister and the ministry can come on board with regards to the free water provision,” Skrywer said.Come to the partyDespite announcing its plans to restrict water provisions, he said the council remained in favour of supplying free water as a means to fight the pandemic.“We are not - and it must go on record - the councillors and the council and the City of Windhoek is not in favour of disconnection of the free water provision towards the informal settlements and the residents of the City of Windhoek, but there is a responsibility on the part of the minister and the ministry,” Skrywer said.Efforts to reach Utoni proved futile as calls and texts went unanswered.

City cries for help over water bill

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Namibian Sun 2022-05-29

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City cries for help over water bill

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Namibian Sun 2022-05-29

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