No water for Works

TAPS at the Works Ministry’s regional office at Keetmanshoop have been dry for the past two weeks after the town’s municipality suspended water supply over a huge municipal bill.

The Namibian was reliably informed that the Ministry’s regional office owed the municipality N$1 million at the end of February. The Municipality’s Chief Executive Officer, Jeremia Shangadi, last week confirmed the water cut.He refused to say how much was owed, but said the arrears were “sizeable” and related to water consumption as well as rates and taxes.The office is responsible for paying the rates and taxes on all Government properties at the town.”It has become a [regular] phenomenon this time of the year that we’re told about the annual budget which is exhausted and as a result no payments can be made until mid-April,” Shangadi said.”Officials in the region are to blame for this chaos, because municipal officials tried their utmost best to have the municipal bills hand-delivered long before the due date to avoid this kind of dilemma,” he said.The Acting Regional Head of the Ministry of Works, Christiaan Heydt, denied that the office owes N$1 million.He said the office owed the municipality only N$190 000.According to Heydt, the municipality incorrectly billed the office for municipal services that other ministries are responsible for.Heydt also disagreed that an exhausted budget was to blame for the non-payment.”Misconception over which Government Ministry is responsible for certain Government property is the real problem,” he said.”Our officials spend enormous time to sort out this misconception with other ministries and the municipality.”The Municipality’s Chief Executive Officer, Jeremia Shangadi, last week confirmed the water cut.He refused to say how much was owed, but said the arrears were “sizeable” and related to water consumption as well as rates and taxes.The office is responsible for paying the rates and taxes on all Government properties at the town.”It has become a [regular] phenomenon this time of the year that we’re told about the annual budget which is exhausted and as a result no payments can be made until mid-April,” Shangadi said.”Officials in the region are to blame for this chaos, because municipal officials tried their utmost best to have the municipal bills hand-delivered long before the due date to avoid this kind of dilemma,” he said.The Acting Regional Head of the Ministry of Works, Christiaan Heydt, denied that the office owes N$1 million.He said the office owed the municipality only N$190 000.According to Heydt, the municipality incorrectly billed the office for municipal services that other ministries are responsible for.Heydt also disagreed that an exhausted budget was to blame for the non-payment.”Misconception over which Government Ministry is responsible for certain Government property is the real problem,” he said.”Our officials spend enormous time to sort out this misconception with other ministries and the municipality.”