GRN owes Swakop millions

Apart from household water debt, and the water debt of businesses operating in Swakopmund, the total outstanding debt for GRN municipal services in the town, and “free water” to the DRC amounts to about N$17.5 million.While the municipality did not want to give specific figures to Erongo 24/7 ”due to the high confidentiality and sensitivity of our valued customer’s accounts”, the institution did eventually divulge that the outstanding municipal services debt of various ministerial service accounts amounts to nearly N$15 641 666,76. Furthermore, the outstanding fee for “free water” which was supplied through standpipes for the DRC informal settlement as a Covid-19 emergency measure, amounts to N$1 683 772,85.The amount for the “outstanding” free water is apparently owed to the municipality by the government, and is equivalent to the worth of the water freely provided to the residents of the DRC.“It is called free, but it is not really free. Either the government compensates, or it might just be paid by residential households,” an officer at the municipality told this publication.The Swakopmund municipal council recently appealed to businesses, government institutions and developers with high or long outstanding unpaid municipal accounts (especially water) to pay their accounts, or be disconnected. They are given till 1 April to settle their accounts. Alternative, reasonable, arrangements, can be formally made with the municipality.The public relations officer of the municipality, Aili Gebhardt, told Erongo 24/7 that the council provided free water to the DRC informal settlement after a mandate given by government following the sudden surge of Covid-19 cases and the effects thereof. The free water supply started in May 2020 and was discontinued in October 2021.According to her, the pandemic created hardships for many residents and businesses, making it difficult to recover the outstanding debt.To further assist the ratepayers and businesses, the Swakopmund council made no increase to the rates, taxes and tariffs for municipal services during the last two financial years.“It is against this background that council is appealing to municipal account holders to settle their municipal debt and or make arrangements on how they will settle their outstanding debts,” she said.

GRN owes Swakop millions

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Republikein 2025-06-18

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GRN owes Swakop millions

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