City Sometimes Acts in Ratepayers’ Interest, Sometimes Not As a Namibian citizen and a ratepayer to the Municipality of Windhoek, I wish to congratulate the City of Windhoek on the stance taken in asserting its independence and acting in the interest of its ratepayers by not agreeing to become a subscriber to the Electricity Control Board, even though I do not agree that the City of Windhoek is entitled to charge electricity rates to which it is not entitled. The very existence of the various Electricity Boards should be investigated, in order to ensure that their existence is, in fact, justified and is ultimately in the interest of the consumer. It appears that these Boards were imposed on us without proper deliberations and/or consultations. Is this yet another instance where some foreign consultant imposed his/her vision upon Namibia? The various Electricity Boards employ people who in turn are entitled to salaries and other perks. These have to be paid by someone, and that someone is the consumer. Is it a fair question not to ask – what is the consumer getting in exchange, or are the Electricity Boards just another form of taxation among the many other forms of indirect taxation with which we as taxpayers are burdened? One of the aims of Government has been to electrify every corner of Namibia. How effective can this policy be if electricity becomes unaffordable? Yours faithfully, Peter Koep Windhoek