The Mayor of Windhoek Sakarias Uunona has urged the city's property owners to clear overgrown vegetation around their premises.
This is in light of the start of the high-risk grass and veld fire season, which persists through to October.
Speaking during the latest City of Windhoek ordinary council meeting, Uunona stated that the proactive measure is a legal necessity under Regulation 56 (Part 4) of the Windhoek Fire Brigade Service Regulations, governing safety requirements on premises.
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"Creating these critical firebreaks minimises combustible materials, actively prevents the rapid spread of blazes, and serves as our frontline defence in safeguarding lives, local properties, and our fragile environment," he appealed. "I strongly urge every resident to take immediate action and maintain clear zones around their homes."
Transforming fire safety
To transform fire safety in Windhoek's communities, the City has reported immense success for its Smoke Detector Roll-out Initiative in the city's informal settlement areas.
The mayor stated that, building on that momentum, the City launched the 2026 Community Fire Safety Education Programme through the Emergency and Disaster Risk Management Unit.
The pivotal programme operates under our Integrated Community Education and Risk Awareness Campaign (ICERAC), which spans various internal stakeholders, he said.
Data from the past six months reveals that the communities most heavily affected by devastating informal dwelling fires are from the Moses //Garoëb, Samora Machel and Tobias Hainyeko constituencies.
"We are not leaving these communities behind. We have prioritised these areas for urgent, targeted interventions. Focus is on fire prevention education, early detection awareness, and building stronger collaborations between communities, businesses and safety stakeholders," Uunona said.
The engagements have yielded positive results. This includes the recent activations in the Moses //Garoëb constituency between 17 and 24 May, where a good display of grassroots leadership was shown.
Out of 24 community chairpersons, 17 actively participated. With their assistance, the City engaged a massive number of community members at Ondjelekela and the Ombili Community Hall.
Residents actively asked questions, voiced concerns and received basic life-saving fire training and 10 smoke detectors were handed out.
The City concluded the latest round of engagements in the Tobias Hainyeko between 14 and 21 June.
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During this round of engagements, 30 structural chairpersons were identified, 17 dedicated chairpersons answered the call to action, big crowds gathered at Rank 80 and as well as the Maxuilili Fire Station.
There were also face-to-face discussions between residents engaged and municipal teams as families learned how to prevent and fight domestic fires.
Another 10 smoke detectors were distributed to high-risk homes.
"We are not stopping here. True progress means leaving no constituency behind. Next month (July 2026), our teams will move into the Samora Machel constituency to continue this vital work. All Samora Machel chairpersons and residents are encouraged to prepare, show up and participate. Together, we are making Windhoek a safer place for every single family."
