Boniface Mutumba
Introduction
The Katima Mulilo Town Council (KMTC) levies taxes on the residents of the town with the view to raise revenue for the local authority council to fund local services such as basic services, protection and safety services, social and welfare services, and cultural services. Residents at the town are users/consumers of all these local services. In an unbiased manner, this author seeks to point out aspects that have prompted this unpleasant development at the town, with a view to suggesting solutions which can lead to a sustainable and symbiotic relationship between the two parties.
Background
Local authorities in Namibia are category democratic institutions of the state which exist for democratic and utilitarian purposes. In this arrangement, people vote for representatives, who then vote on policy initiatives. The government of the Republic of Namibia (GRN) at independence adopted a representative democracy which ushers in representative governments at regional and local levels that are legislatively governed by elected officials (councillors) who represent, lead and act on behalf of local citizens. In this arrangement, elected officials’ political powers derive from the support and the votes of the citizens at local level. Therefore, it is incumbent upon elected officials (councillors) to do their best to accurately represent the desires of their constituents.
Basic Principles of Local Government
Although there are general principles that underpin local governance in Namibia, focus in our discussion is limited to the three basic principles, namely:
The scope of local government is limited;
Approaches to local governing should emphasise transparency, restraint and simplicity; and
Elected leaders should prioritise essential services and infrastructure over any pursuit of expanded attractions or benefits.
The Bone of Contention
Based on preceding observations, significance of what has happened at Katima Mulilo recently following the infamous council decision of procuring the services of a debt collector and the subsequent consideration of the 15% levy on outstanding municipal accounts at the town, has gained in relevance in the Zambezi region that residents at the town of Katima Mulilo have expressed their displeasure through demonstrations and expressed views through WhatsApp groups. This was recently confirmed by the outrageous reactions of the residents at a public meeting which was recently conducted at the Ngweze community hall at Katima Mulilo.
Community members allege that councillors never consulted them when these decisions were taken by the KMTC. In response to this, the KMTC contends that the decision was taken to accelerate revenue collection at the town, following repeated requests to the community to settle their dues that never yielded the desired outcome. Further, the KMTC confirms consideration of the bemoaned 15% levy on outstanding municipal accounts.
Observations
First, the non-regulatory decision of council in the pretext of cost recovery which gave rise to the external contractual agreement between KMTC and the debt collector can be viewed as having a broad application. In my view, the decision to charge a 15% levy payable to the debt collector by debtors who have not paid their outstanding balances to the KMTC is more likely to require public consultation, and it may also come with natural justice obligations to consult specific people. This should have been considered by the KMTC as a last resort in that they should have alerted their debtors with at least 30 days’ notice that they plan to collect their debt by enacting a 15% levy.
Second, the option to ignore the residents’ voiced discontent at the town is never available to the KMTC. Inaction should not be considered as a viable choice, as councillors will delude themselves by not acting. Generally, communication issues and conflict may signal ineffective leadership at the town, a situation that can do considerable damage to the KMTC as an organisation.
Third, home owners and residents at the town are required to manage their municipal bills by paying for their accounts monthly to ensure continued delivery of local services by the KMTC. Any resident of Katima Mulilo who owns a house or property within the municipal area and has access to water, electricity and waste removal services should be responsible for paying a monthly municipal service account to the KMTC for these local services which include taxes residents pay on their properties.
All residents of KM are bound by local legislation to pay for water, sewage or waste, refuse removal of solid waste, rates and taxes, or assessment rates.
Income generated by the KMTC is used to provide all residents of the town with the local services cited earlier in our discussion.
Indeed, this is a give and take situation which is necessitated by the symbiotic relationship between the KMTC as a governing body with the residents at the town, a relationship which needs to be harnessed and cherished in the public interest, as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia and laws governing regional and local authorities. Paying for local services, in my view, is a civic duty of all residents residing within the local authority area of Katima Mulilo. Consequently, paying for local services becomes a civic obligation that rests on all residents at the town. Therefore, the inherent obligation to pay for local services that vest in residents at the town should have enticed the affected residents to meaningfully engage the KMTC through the approved modicum of communication which underpins the civic responsibility of citizens at local level. Altercations against councillors and officials of the KMTC should not have been an option for the affected residents. Instead, constructive approaches with a focus on the common good should have been considered by the affected residents in the quest for an amicable solution to the impasse that prevails at the town.
Suggestions to resolve the prevailing impasse
The KMTC could resolve the foregoing impasse democratically and transparently by considering a reduction in the 15% levy payable to the debt collector by debtors who have not paid their outstanding balances to the KMTC through negotiation with the residents at the town. In this connection, council could negotiate the cross-subsidisation of the affected debtors based on a median calculated between the minimum of 3.5% to the maximum of 10,5% as a means of easing the financial burden that local charges can create for low-income households at the town.
The elected officials (councillors) could be encouraged to provide community members with an opportunity to contribute to decision-making by strengthening community participation and involvement in matters that involve their livelihoods by 1) strengthening civic education programmes at the town; 2) encouraging scheduled public meetings with the community; and establishing advisory committees of the management committee and council, as provided in the enabling legislation governing local authorities.
Local citizens could be encouraged to pay their monthly municipal service accounts as a matter of civil obligation for basic services provided to them by the KMTC. In the same vein, the KMTC could be encouraged to review its credit control policy with a view to ensuring that all monthly municipal service accounts at the town are settled by debtors during the 12- month period of the fiscal year for which they are charged, to deter an escalation of dues to the next ensuing fiscal year.
*Dr. Boniface Mutumba is a managing consultant of BSM Capacity-Building Solutions cc. He offers this expert advice professionally as an individual. The guide is not intended to replace any official guidance from the Katima Mulilo Town Council.