Katutura residents await city council response on Redforce

The Katutura Residents Committee is still waiting for a response from the City of Windhoek over the termination of Redforce Debt Management’s contrast.

The committee met the city management on 19 July to vent their dissatisfaction over the use of a third party to collect outstanding debts.

The chairperson of the Katutura Residents Committee, Benestus Kandundu, says after their meeting, the Windhoek City Council requested a two-week period to deliberate on matters that arose during the meeting. This would be up to 2 August. He confirmed this in an interview with The Namibian yesterday.

“As we departed from the meeting, we agreed that there will be a second meeting where they will come back to us on how they have looked into the document,” Kandundu said.

He said the municipality is yet to get back to the committee with resolutions on issues that arose during the meeting.

Kandundu said the committee had sent a letter to the Windhoek City Council on 1 August, requesting communication on the progress of the discussions on the committee’s concerns.

The roundtable discussion in July saw the city council’s management and the Katutura Residents Committee discussing issues brought forward by the committee.

According to a letter the committee submitted to The Namibian, the Windhoek City Council offers residents social and not private services, thus making the contract between the city council and Redforce invalid for residents.

“What the City of Windhoek offers is a social service and private business, thus the contract between the City of Windhoek and Redforce is not binding on the residents who are not party to the engagement,” the letter reads.

According to the letter, Redforce is not concerned about the effect of its conduct on society and operates as a business that enforces its will on the society.

The committee asked the municipality to write off debt and introduce a prepaid water and electricity system at Katutura, as the conventional system contributes to high debts.

“Residents are aware of their responsibilities toward the city and seek practical ways and means of fulfilling those responsibilities following what have been very hard economic times,” the letter said.

Residents have called for effective debt management by imposing a ceiling for residents who are indebted to the city.

This comes after the residents of Okahandja and the Katutura constituency flocked together to march to the City of Windhoek in demonstration against the municipality’s debt management process in June.

Kandundu handed over the petition to Windhoek mayor Joseph Uapingene, in which residents are requesting the municipality to write off their water and electricity debts.

Windhoek spokesperson Harold Akwenye said the status quo remains for now.

“Council has to deliberate on the issue before pronouncing itself,” he said.