We can do without RedForce — Swakop mayor

Swakopmund mayor Dina Namubes says the municipality is prepared to handle debt collection at the coastal town without external debt collectors.

This comes after Walvis Bay municipality terminated its contract with RedForce Debt Management.

Although, the decision has been put on hold by a court order.

“Our council believes that with the help of our credit control policy, we can run our municipality without RedForce’s involvement or support. Our officially designated accounting officer oversees the efficient operation of the finance department and acts on the council’s behalf to guarantee that council monies are handled and allocated appropriately,” she said.

Over the weekend, urban and rural development minister Erastus Uutoni urged local authorities to ditch external debt collectors.

Namubes said following the Covid-19 pandemic, they implemented a resolution permitting individuals to make arrangements and settle their debts in manageable installments.

“The public responded rather well and worked with us quite well. People in our neighbourhood are working very hard to pay their bills,” she said.

The mayor said employing external support will come with an extra expense, on top of what they have already.

“We can utilise our internal capacity to cut costs and save our revenue. It is encouraging to see that other councils from all over the country are calling and visiting us for benchmarking skills transfer and support,” Namubes said.

She said they are thankful for the stakeholder support they receive, including support from members of the community, mining companies, street vendors and various other businesses.

“Swakopmund council is unique and inclusive, we respect and love each other, thus we leave our political differences outside and deliberate in good faith to avoid destroying the nation,” she said.