RESIDENTS of Saamstaan at Greenwell Matongo in Windhoek's Samora Machel constituency say they want the City of Windhoek to give them prepaid water meters.
Residents use community taps and pay bills collectively, which is expensive, they say.
On Saturday residents of the Samora Machel constituency and surrounding informal settlements had a community meeting at Greenwell Matongo about high water bills and rates and taxes.
Speaking at the meeting, Edith Mbanga, a resident of Saamstaan, said the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia settled them there, and they formed a group called Saamstaan in 1987.
Mbanga said as a group they bought land from the City of Windhoek, since they cannot afford single plots.
"The plots are too expensive. We bought the land without services and the municipality only serviced the land up to the boundary where our land block starts," she said.
Mbanga said they serviced the land themselves as a community and bought water pipes.
"We did all this with the inspection of the City of Windhoek. We bought the land in 1992. We have been staying here for 30 years," she said.
Mbanga said ever since the land was serviced, they have been struggling to get prepaid water meters to individualise their water accounts.
"We have written letters to the City of Windhoek for the past four years requesting individual accounts, and until now we have had no response," she said.
"Paying water bills as a collective makes the bill very high. Not everyone can afford that," she said.
She has asked the City of Windhoek why it is not giving them prepaid water meters like other areas, she said.
Mbanga said the City of Windhoek increases its rates and taxes with 14% every July.
Another resident, Paulina Vikeumbo, complained about high water bills.
"After Covid-19, our water bills increased with N$6 000 per person. But water in some community taps was free, while ours was not free. The government said water must be free for everybody," she said.
Renciah Kooper said residents have been requesting prepaid water meters for the past 15 years.
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"This year we applied for prepaid water individually, and we got approvals. We engaged the mayor and she gave instructions that the officials must come do installations," she said.
She said they were last Monday told their water pipes are of a low quality.
The Namibian saw a water bill indicating that the water supply for the area went up to N$1 089 133 million after the pandemic.
The community is requesting the mayor's intervention to reduce water bills, and rates and taxes.
City of Windhoek spokesperson Harold Akwenye last week said prepaid water meters were introduced in the area two years ago.
"That initiative of prepaid water meters was launched this year. Those four and 15 years they are talking about there is already a contradiction," he said.
Akwenye said the city has informed residents to apply for prepaid meters.
"Maybe those people live in compounds, and that is why they use community taps. There are disputes that need to be resolved," he said.
Akwenye said the city is assessing the issue.
"This is not something that will be done today or tomorrow, it will take time," he said.
If people are using community taps, they must organise themselves and try to use water sparingly, he said.
