WINDHOEK – The City of Windhoek last week admitted that the municipal police force is a financial burden on the municipality’s financial coffers but, according to Windhoek Mayor Muesee Kazapua, for the sake of safety and security the operations of the City Police will continue.
Kazapua revealed the future plans for the police force last Thursday at the monthly town council meeting, which also saw councillors bidding farewell to their counterpart and former city mayor Agnes Kafula, who will on March 21 go to parliament as one of Swapo Party’s representatives in the National Assembly.
“Municipal police services and other security service operations are public costs, carried by those who should be secured. I would like to impress upon our residents to measure the value of the City Police not in monetary terms, as to how much it costs to run it, but rather in terms of necessity and the quality of service it provides,” said Kazapua.
Kazapua said public safety is a compromise investment with no direct profit.
“The choice is a safer city, where residents and tourists alike are free to roam, or a city filled with crime and insecurities,” stressed the mayor
Kazapua said when the City Police was established city residents were consulted and there was a general agreement on the introduction of a security levy to ensure the sustainability of the force’s operations.
The Namibian earlier this month reported that municipal spokesperson Joshua Amukugo admitted that running the municipal police has become a burden.
“Sustaining the City Police has begun to interfere with the development of the city to such an extent that we cannot keep on without extra sources of income, unless residents decide to ask the council to do away with security, which is the City Police,” Amukugo reportedly said.
It was further reported that the financial pressure of sustaining the City Police has angered some council bosses who say a lot of money is being spent on the troubled force instead of providing other essential services.
The municipality proposed that residents should pay an extra N$50 per property a month, while businesses and other properties pay N$100 per month which translates to the municipality collecting close to N$5 million a month to support the activities of the City Police.
On the N$400 million municipal debt
With thousands of Windhoek residents owing the municipality over N$400 million in water, electricity and rates, Kazapua strongly warned defaulters that the municipality will have no mercy on them when it comes to suspending or disconnecting services.
“The situation is not sustainable and has prompted Council to send out a notice and SMS’s a few days ago urging our clients, including businesses, government agencies and individuals to settle their accounts by February 27. Failure to do so will leave us with no choice but to suspend or disconnect services to defaulters.”
Kazapua said non-payment of municipal accounts has become a great concern for the municipality.
“We are nonetheless mindful of the difficulties experienced by pensioners and destitute residents who struggle to pay their bills. We are embarking upon consultations with relevant authorities overseeing our bulk suppliers Nampower and Namwater, aimed at subsidizing water and electricity to the said section of our communities,” he said.