Iuze Mukube
The City of Windhoek handed over four prepaid water taps to households in the Jerry Okandjo Location last Sunday.
Mayor Queen Kamati, this initiative was in response to the vulnerable community’s ongoing struggle to get necessities and marks a significant step towards improving the quality of life for residents who have endured years of water shortages and poor infrastructure.
“I was first approached by the community leaders of the Jerry Ekandjo location in the Moses //Garoeb constituency last year, when they informed me there were no water standpipes in their community and they had to walk long distances daily, to access clean water,” she said.
After several engagements with technical departments, the construction began in January and was completed in June 2024.
Kamati announced that five pre-paid water standpipes and infrastructure were installed at a cost of approximately
N$150 000, with four of them in the Jerry Ekandjo location while the other was put up in the Matthew Shikongo location.
She urged the communities in those locations to use the water taps responsibly and safeguard them against vandalism as water is very scarce, with the prevailing drought the county is facing.
Mexy Kaavela, community representative for the Jerry Ekandjo residents, thanked the mayor for her response after he consulted her last year, stating that the community now has accessible, clean water.
Additionally, residents of the community beamed as clean water was finally accessible and available in their area. On the other hand, Moses Matyayi, the CEO of the City, said the municipality appreciated the residents raising the challenges they meet as the council’s vision is to be a caring and sustainable city by 2027.
“Now, sustainable and caring means we need to be prudent in the things we do, whether administratively or also within our community. I have been informed the area has plus-minus 900 residents, and the five taps are within a 200-metre radius, which will be sufficient to serve this community.”