WINDHOEK – The Gobabis Municipality is drowning in debt, with residents owing the town council over N$34 million in unpaid water and electricity bills.
In an attempt to rescue the municipality from going under, the town council has hired casual workers as debt collectors to collect what is owed by individual households.
But this is much to the chagrin of residents who bemoan the regular power outages and water shortages.
And last week was amongst the worst in terms of power supply interruptions, as power outages were encountered almost every day.
Vital institutions such as the hospital and police station were at most times spared the power interruptions, largely due to alternative power supply such as that provided by generators.
The municipality confirmed over the weekend its weak capacity to adequately serve all residents, saying most of the electricity and other vital infrastructure at the town is under constant pressure to serve the growing population, while it also experiences extensive wear and tear.
Nevertheless, the council says it is determined to recover debt from households, hence the use of casual workers.
“We first tried to use lawyers for debt collection, but that didn’t work,” Frederick Ueitele, the municipal public relations officer told New Era.
The council is also looking at installing prepaid water metres in a pilot phase, in the hope of curbing utility debts.
“We want to see how that works before fully engaging the community,” he said, adding that they want to follow the example of the Otjiwarongo Town Council, which installed 1 600 water metres in the Tsaraxa-Aibes informal settlement.
Infuriated residents in the eastern town complained that they go without electricity and water every other week. “Just two days ago there was no electricity in the whole town. They do not tell us or warn us that there won’t be this or that,” said one resident. Complaints are also that the municipality is mismanaging funds earmarked for upgrading electrical cables and water pipes that are old.
The town has over the past few months been plagued by constant power interruptions lasting between four hours to almost two days. Frequent water interruptions, often lasting an entire weekend, have also occurred.
Last week’s power supply interruptions forced many large businesses such as banks, supermarkets and petrol stations to run on alternative power supply for the better part of last week. However, the power shortages grounded several government ministries and agencies, as staff members were unable to attend to their daily tasks.
“Most of our underground cables are worn out. We have been trying to fix the problem for a long time now, but we are yet to find a permanent solution to the crisis. This is due to the unexpected surge in the town’s population over the past five years or so, which continues to put pressure on the supply of basic services,” said Ueitele.
Residents also expressed concern about the municipality’s lack of communication on power interruptions, accusing the municipality of not being sensitive to their needs.
“One would expect the municipality to at least warn us in advance that there is going to be a power supply interruption, as they know of such interruptions well in advance. They hardly communicate, even just to provide information on the progress and when we can expect electricity to be restored,” said Mike Uamunika, a resident of the Epako residential area.
Ueitele, while admitting that the frequent power supply interruptions do cause inconvenience, noted that the municipality tries its best to keep clear communication channels with residents.
The increase in the population of Gobabis is mainly attributed to the rollout of the government’s policy of decentralisation, as more ministries establish offices at the town.
Coupled to this is the transfer of personnel from other towns to run these offices.
A business boom, which led to the establishment of a bigger mall – the town’s second – is also said to have contributed to the pressure on the provision of basic services. – Additional reporting by Nampa