Aggrieved residents flock to Windhoek municipality to verify accounts

Several Windhoek residents showed up at the municipality's doors on Monday to insist their accounts be verified.

According to community activist Shaun Gariseb, this was in response to an invitation from Windhoek mayor Queen Kamati, who, according to him, encouraged the capital’s residents on 8 August to address issues related to their accounts at the municipal offices.

Although municipal spokesperson Lydia Amutenya pleaded over the weekend for residents not to show up in large numbers as it could overwhelm municipal systems, many people still flocked to the municipal offices looking for answers.

Unfortunately, residents were turned away at the door.

Harold Akwenye, the chief spokesperson for the Windhoek municipality, said the municipality will instead make arrangements to conduct verifications at branches in Khomasdal and Katutura starting next week.

Akwenye said he spoke with several elderly people who were at the demonstration on Monday and found that a majority of issues are related to dependence on state pension payments, which prevents them from settling debts with the municipality.

Others are struggling to transfer property into their names after family members passed away, some a long time ago.

“These are the types of concerns expressed by the elderly and are not related to errors in the payment system. We have identified irregularities in fewer than fifteen accounts, which we are actively investigating in connection with the payment system,” Akwenye said.