Ondangwa residents to receive interest free municipal services

Ondangwa Town Council spokesperson, Petrina Shitalangaho-Mutikisha, has said all residents with overdue accounts will receive interest-free municipal services for a period of one year, starting from October 2023.

Shitalangaho-Mutikisha made the remarks on Friday, mentioning that the waiver period will last until September 2024.

The spokesperson said this is being done with the aim of encouraging residents to settle their accounts without any difficulties.

Currently, Ondangwa residents owe the council N.dollars 85 million in municipal services, Shitalangaho-Mutikisha stated.

‘The council’s debts have increased rapidly due to the economic downturn, coupled with the severe effects of the coronavirus. Some residents have lost their income and employment, limiting their purchasing power and ability to pay their municipal services in full,’ she said.

She added that the global economic slump has severely affected economic development activities, resulting in the closure of some local business establishments,
which also influenced the decision.

Shitalangaho-Mutikisha stated that this programme is applicable to all account holders classified as domestic (residential), commercial (business and industrial), non-profit organizations, community-based organizations, churches, and private institutions.

However, she noted that this is not applicable to government Offices, Ministries, and Agencies (OMAs), including State-owned enterprises.

She stressed that this is not the first time the council is bringing a relief programme to its residents. In the 2021/2022 financial year, during the sixth Ordinary Council meeting in 2021, for a period of 12 months, the council exempted people in informal areas from paying connection fees for sewer and water for a period of one year.

Shitalangaho-Mutikisha emphasised that this was done to help residents who were hard-hit by the pandemic and the negative economic conditions associated with it, whereby some residents were retrenched, and salaries reduced.

Source: Namibia Press Agency