KEETMANSHOOP – The Keetmanshoop municipality has denied claims that the Namibia Industrial Development Agency (Nida) has evicted tenants from the !Homs Ai Market.

Wessel !Nanuseb, a senior manager for corporate services at Nida, said the agency has neither threatened nor evicted tenants from the market. “The agency has not evicted any tenants. However, some left the facilities with arrears. We have taken the position to hand over all defaulters to debt collectors for recovery,” he said.

!Nanuseb said some operators vacated the premises due to lack of water and electricity at the market. However, they will be allowed to return once prepaid utility meters are installed. Otherwise, the facilities will be advertised for new tenants.

He added that Nida is expected to engage the municipality soon to negotiate a settlement arrangement for the N$2.5 million debt it owes the local authority.

The municipality understands that the agency has been facing severe cash-flow challenges due to tenants failing to pay rent over the years, a situation worsened by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Being a facility funded solely by the State, we have an obligation to ensure that it reopens and operates to serve the Keetmanshoop community,” he said.

He maintained that the facility will only reopen once prepaid meters are installed to avoid people defaulting on their bills in the future.

In response to reports that Nida has not paid its municipal bills over the past four years, !Nanuseb said the facility attracts monthly business rates and taxes due to its zoning, despite its social objectives.

“This challenge affects various Nida parks across the country, as monthly revenue from rent is insufficient to sustain operations,” he noted. “As a business arm of the government, we are mandated to provide goods and services to the public, especially with the renewed focus on industrialisation. All efforts are being made to serve communities nationwide, and no small operator will be excluded upon successful application,” he added. However, Keetmanshoop Electricity Business Unit acting strategic executive Lee Mwemba recently told Nampa the municipality and Nida must determine who will settle the accumulated debt, before discussions on prepaid water and electricity meters could proceed.

“Since December 2023, we have called on entities to engage us and enter payment arrangements, but Nida has never shown interest. As a result, we had to disconnect the electricity. If we continue providing electricity to Nida without payment, it means someone else — often the poorest of the poor — will be subsidising their service. For the past four years, Nida has not paid anything, which is unfair to the residents of Keetmanshoop,” said Mwemba.

The chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts and Economics, Peter Kazongominja, highlighted that the facility had no water and electricity in 2023 when the committee visited, but there were some ongoing activities. However, their recent visit revealed that all stalls were completely shut down. “We need clarity from the municipality regarding the progress, and a sustainable solution,” he said.

-sklukowski@nepc.com.na