Khorixas
The Khorixas Town Council will from next month discount municipal service bills for senior citizens, people with disabilities and marginalised groups at the town.
The discount that comes into effect from beginning of July is a result of years of painstaking negotiations led by the Ida Khaibasen Group that advocates for better living conditions for the elders in Khorixas. ‘Ida khaibasen’ is Damara/Nama for “let us stand up for ourselves”.
While all other properties will pay N$95 for water, elders will pay N$80. For sewerage and drainage services, elders will pay N$50, while other properties will be charged N$70. For refuse removal services the elders of Khorixas will pay N$50 while the rest pay N$80 starting from July.
The reduction in payment for basic services will not affect the Khorixas Town Council’s operations negatively, according to the town strategic executive officer of human resources Eben Xoagub. “Our elders have asked for an intervention for many years and we in the council heard their cry. This from next month our elders will pay less for basic services than others,” Xoagub said.
Upon hearing the news, elders at the northwestern town were full of praise for Xoagub, who in turn said elders promptly pay for municipal services compared to the youth.
“These people pay for their municipal services without any hesitation. They don’t even negotiate and usually have no excuse to settle their bills,” Xoagub said.
The relationship between the town council and elders is said to be excellent and Xoagub says others must also start cultivating the approach of the elders. “Approach us and let’s see what happens instead of giving us pressure, let’s work together,” Xoagub said. Khorixas Town Council plans to give ownership to elders for the properties.
According to Xoagub, the economically active people at the town are not willing to pay and this affects the income of the town council negatively although he said there has been an improvement in payment of municipal bills since 2010.
Ida Khaibasen’s public relations officer Anna Ida !Naruses said elders welcomed the subsidy but would like the council to write off the debts. “We rely only on the pension grant so debts some elders have they will never pay them off,” !Naruses said.
A few years ago, Khorixas Town Council wrote off 70 per cent of debts for elders.
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esides the discount on basic services for the marginalised groups, Xoagub said, “If old people have a house and they pay off the municipal debt, which they had, pay transfer costs and pay for the land value then the house is theirs.”