Windhoek: Community members in Otjiwarongo on Thursday staged a peaceful demonstration over alleged delays by the municipality in writing off debts accumulated by pensioners. According to Namibia Press Agency, the demonstrators claimed they were in possession of a written directive from the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development instructing the Otjiwarongo Municipality to compile a list of pensioners struggling to pay their rates and taxes.
The group stated in their petition that, contrary to expectations, the municipality has excluded some pensioners who qualify for the government initiative aimed at alleviating their financial burdens. They accused certain local authority councillors of listing only pensioners who are their acquaintances, thereby prompting calls for the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development to intervene. The demonstrators requested an extension of the deadline, originally set for 31 August 2026, to ensure their grievances are adequately addressed.
Furthermore, the group demanded an official response from the municipality by 08 September 2026. The petition was formally received by Namibia Kandume, the chairperson of the municipality's management committee, who was accompanied by Deputy Mayor Sebetius Guiteb. Kandume assured the demonstrators that the petition would be submitted to the full council and a response would be provided by the following Tuesday.
Earlier this year, the Otjiwarongo Municipality reported a significant increase in outstanding rates and taxes, with a rise from N$65 million in January to nearly N$80 million by the end of March. Laudia Hamukwaya, the municipality's strategic executive for finance, revealed that private residential properties owed N$58.3 million, while pensioners in Orwetoveni owed more than N$11.3 million. Additionally, the local business community had arrears of approximately N$6.4 million, and government ministries owed around N$3.7 million.
Hamukwaya noted that various measures, such as water disconnections and issuing notices to defaulters, had not yielded the desired outcomes. "Some of these accounts are as old as 20 years and keep on accumulating," she said.