Windhoek pensioners urged to adopt prepaid meters as City rejects debt write-off The City of Windhoek has formally responded to a petition from the Khomas Ratepayers and Residents, rejecting a key demand for the unconditional write-off of pensioner debts while strongly encouraging pensioners to transition to prepaid utility meters. This stance headlines the City’s detailed reply addressing concerns over municipal services, housing,

#Windhoek #Pensioners #PrepaidMeters #DebtRelief #Utilities

Grootfontein’s N$217m debt triggers water system reform Hertta-Maria Amutenja Grootfontein Municipality says it is losing large volumes of water due to leakages and unaccounted use.  To address this, the town will begin installing prepaid water meters from August 2025, with plans to replace all conventional meters by December. While the move is widely seen as a way to recover unpaid bills, acting chief executive officer Indileni Lungameni said it is also aimed at fixing infrastructural inefficiencies that have cost the town millions. “We want to better account for water consumption or losses through leakages, improve the billing system, and automate the entire billing process,” Lungameni said. The municipality did not reveal the percentage of water being lost, but Lungameni pointed to the issue of “non-revenue water”—water that is produced but not billed due to leaks, faulty meters, or illegal connections. As of May 2025, municipal debts stood at N$217 million, up by 1% from the previous year.  The amount includes arrears for water, refuse removal, and property taxes.  The municipality hopes that prepaid meters will help reduce these debts. A former municipal technician familiar with the system said that towns of similar size often experience water losses between 25% and 30%. “You can’t fix water losses with meters alone. You need investment in infrastructure by replacing pipes, maintaining reservoirs, and monitoring pressure zones. But meters can help pinpoint where the losses are happening,” the technician said. On June 30, the municipality announced the launch of a comprehensive infrastructure master plan to guide long-term repairs and investment.  The municipality has appointed CEPM and Partners Engineers (Pty) Ltd to spearhead the plan’s development and implementation. The plan includes a status quo evaluation of roads, drainage, sewerage, and stormwater systems, an engineering determination of what is needed, and a prioritisation of projects in the short, medium, and long terms. The municipality has deployed 11 field officers, split into smaller teams, to collect data throughout Grootfontein. Residents have been asked to cooperate with the teams.

#WaterReform #Grootfontein #WaterManagement #PrepaidMeters #Infrastructure

Rundu installs more than one thousand prepaid water meters The Rundu Town Council has installed prepaid water meters for 1 021 households at a cost of N$6.9 million. This is the first phase of a programme which benefited the town’s Safari, Nkarapamwe and Tutungeni locations. The town’s acting chief executive, Fransiska Kupembona, launched the programme on Wednesday. “The process of rolling over from conventional meters to prepaid meters started on 7 February 2025 and it’s still ongoing,” Kupembona said. She said 438 houses in Safari, 196 in Nkarapamwe and about 387 in Tutungeni have so far been covered. “The council benchmarked with other local authorities where such systems are working effectively,” she said. “In early 2023, the technical department and finance department undertook studies at Katima Mulilo and Otjiwarongo,” Kupembona said. She also said the Rundu Town Council will not connect disconnected residents without receiving payment. “You apply with N$600 for reconnection,” she said. Project manager Pascal Kandjimi said the target is to make it more convenient for the community to pay for their services. Former education deputy minister Faustina Caley, a beneficiary of the project, said the system will eliminate and reduce bill disputes. “You can see up to now, we are committed residents. Just give us what we owe you, and then we pay,” Caley said. Kavango East governor Julius Hambyuka said the introduction of prepaid water meters will allow residents to manage their water consumption effectively. “This system has been increasingly adopted in various regions to manage water resources efficiently and reducing wastage,” Hambyuka stated. The post Rundu installs more than one thousand prepaid water meters appeared first on The Namibian.

#Rundu #WaterManagement #PrepaidMeters #Sustainability #SmartWater