Urgent follow-up

CONCERNED RESIDENTS OF PIONIERSPARK RESIDENTIAL AREA WRITES:

Dear Sir/Madam

We write to urgently follow up on our formal grievance and petition submitted to the City of Windhoek on 29 August 2026, concerning excessive noise arising from commercial music festivals, large-scale entertainment events and amplified sound from sports clubs and other commercial properties, situated within the Pionierspark Residential Area and directly adjacent to family homes and schools.

Our correspondence was copied to members of the media, who have since published the residents’ concerns and reported that the Municipality had been informed and that residents were awaiting a response; however as of today, 7 September 2026, we have received no acknowledgement, response or indication of action from the Municipality.

Our concerns are further magnified by yet another upcoming music festival; The Balcony Mix Africa, Namibia Edition, scheduled for 17 October 2026 at Wanderers Sports Club in Pionierspark Residential Area, Windhoek.

REPEATED MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT FESTIVALS

Our concern is not limited to one particular event. 

The underlying issue is the repeated hosting of commercial music festivals and large-scale entertainment events at local sports clubs and/or other commercial properties, situated within a residential area and directly adjacent to family homes and schools.

While residents support legitimate sporting, community and ordinary business activities, we strongly maintain that commercial music festivals and large-scale entertainment events, where amplified music or live public broadcasts is the main attraction, should not be permitted at venues situated within residential areas, where the surrounding community is directly and unavoidably exposed to excessive amplified sound, noise, lighting, large crowds, litter, traffic, parking and other impacts.

We therefore urge the Municipality not to grant or renew permits for commercial music festivals and similar large-scale entertainment events at venues within residential areas where these impacts cannot be adequately contained.

Commercial music festivals should therefore only be permitted at appropriately authorised venues, such as the Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium, Sam Nujoma Stadium or WHS FNB Vegkop Stadium, among many others, that are designed and equipped to accommodate such events, including adequate sound and lighting barriers, crowd-control measures, traffic and parking management, public safety and security, sanitation and other necessary infrastructure to protect surrounding residential communities.

This forms part of the broader solution sought in our original petition, including appropriate noise limits, restrictions on event times, sound-boundary controls, responsible permitting, appropriate zoning, effective monitoring and proactive enforcement.

URGENT ACTION REQUESTED

We respectfully request that the Municipality:

1. Formally acknowledge and respond to our 29 August 2026 petition, https://www.change.org/RestrictLoudNoiseInResidentialAreas;
2. Provide residents with a substantive written response and proposed course of action, addressing both the upcoming event and the broader concerns raised in our original petition;
3. Review whether large-scale commercial entertainment events of this nature are appropriate and permissible at venues within a residential area and directly adjacent to homes and schools;
4. Refrain from granting or renewing permits for commercial music festivals and similar large-scale entertainment events at residential-area venues where the necessary zoning, environmental, noise-control, traffic and public-safety requirements cannot be adequately met; 
5. Confirm whether The Balcony Mix Africa – Namibia Edition on 17 October 2026 has received the necessary municipal permits, approvals or authorisations and, if so, on what basis it was granted, and the conditions attached thereto; and
6. Ensure effective noise monitoring and enforcement before and during such events, including at affected residential properties where appropriate.

ESCALATION

Given that our original complaint has remained unanswered since 29 August 2026, we respectfully request that this matter now receive immediate attention.

Should the Municipality fail to provide a substantive response and take appropriate action, the residents reserve their right to escalate the matter to the relevant municipal oversight structures, regulatory and environmental authorities, the Ombudsman and other appropriate statutory bodies, and to obtain legal advice regarding further remedies available to affected residents.

We remain willing to engage constructively with the Municipality to achieve a sustainable solution that allows legitimate sporting, community and commercial activities to continue while protecting the surrounding residential community from unreasonable and recurring noise and related disturbances.

We trust that the Municipality will treat this matter with the urgency it warrants and provide the residents with a written response well before another repetition of events occurring on 17 October 2026.

* Beste lesers, keuring vir die ­publikasie van WhatsApp, briewe en alle ander lesers­bydraes berus by Republikein. Klagtes oor die diens van ­private besighede word eers aan die onder­neming vir reaksie voorgelê. Die menings van ons lesers en rubriekskrywers verteenwoordig nie noodwendig die standpunt van Republikein nie. Republikein is ’n lid van die Redakteursforum van Namibië (EFN) en onderskryf die etiese kode vir die Namibiese media soos toegepas deur die media-ombudsman.