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Namibia: Windhoek Council to Aid Poor Households
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The Namibian (Windhoek)
9 May 2008
Posted to the web 9 May 2008
Brigitte Weidlich
THE Windhoek City Council plans to to write off the debts of households not able to pay their monthly municipal bills.
The decision was taken at Wednesday night's council meeting.
It will also include assisting identified poor households through crediting of a monthly lump sum amount to their municipal accounts.
However, the goodwill gesture will only apply to households in formal municipal settlements, leaving out the bulk of the poor unemployed who live in informal settlements.
Designated households have been identified as residents aged 60 and older who receive State pensions and social welfare cases, such as people with disabilities, who receive a monthly Government grant.
In terms of the policy outstanding accounts of those who qualify for the benefit would be "written off as a once-off exercise".
The groups needing assistance have to register to qualify for this measure.
The financial support will only last for the duration of one financial year and under specific conditions.
"Alleviation of poverty, if not its eradication, remains the central goal of local government and underlies the work we do in our Council," Mayor Mateus Shikongo said on Wednesday night, "but the City cannot not do it alone."
The Councillors said they would approach NamWater and NamPower to make an annual financial contribution to support the "City of Windhoek Assistance to Designated Households Policy" to make it sustainable.
The Khomas Regional Council would also be asked to contribute as well as the Ministry of Local, Regional Government and Housing.
The policy must first be approved by Ministry before it is implemented.
According to the document detailing the initiative, the municipality recognised the "high unemployment rate in Windhoek and the resultant high poverty level.
This results in a high number of households unable to pay for their normal municipal services."
"The draft Policy, although expected to be costly would go a long way to solve the high outstanding debt resulting from defaulting service accounts," the document says.
Apart from pensioners and social welfare cases, households which can qualify as beneficiaries are those where the account holder or owner of the property has registered as a designated household in terms of the municipality's annual registration programme.
The household must be the full-time occupants and must apply personally for the debt relief.
The aid can be withdrawn if beneficiaries fail to adhere to the conditions and terms, tamper with municipal installations or supply wrong information to the municipality.
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In the case of wrong information, such a person would not be considered for the benefit for five years.
Applicants may not own more than one property.
The monthly lump sum amounts to be credited will only be determined once the other stakeholders have indicated how much they can contribute on an annual basis.
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