Councillors unhappy with Walvis Bay budget

Walvis Bay councillors Buddy Bramwell and Ephraim Shozi have rejected the town’s N$1.3-billion budget for the 2025/26 financial year tabled on Friday.

This includes capital and operating budgets of N$632 million and N$660 million, respectively.

Bramwell said meetings held with the public did not explain the budget items, and that the final budget document was not discussed fully with residents.

“For the past five years and beyond, the municipality has been doing what it wanted to with the money. If we are going to propose a budget of the residents’ money, we must be prepared to at least give them a chance to discuss how it should be spent, and not just run it down their throats and expect them to accept it,” he said.

Bramwell said the municipality spent less than 20% of its budget per year for the past 10 years.

“I have no issue with the N$86 415 600 that has been budgeted for 2026. What concerns me is that for 2025, N$45 003 000 was allocated, and with only two months left in the year, just N$20 075 296 has been spent.

“If we are serious about maintaining infrastructure and keeping long-term costs down, the full budget should be utilised every year.

“Is this big increase for 2026 actually realistic and achievable, or is it just another number that looks good on paper but won’t be followed through?” he asked.

Bramwell said staff remuneration compared to service delivery is questionable, asking why this has always been spent in full.

“Without a performance management system for the last 30 years, the administration has been steadily pushing up the cost of service delivery without a co-commitment increase in percentage of service delivery and efficiency.

“The entire budget is geared to make sure the total cost of staff remuneration falls within the 40% of the total operational budget with vacancies used as a tool to balance the budget. A 5% increase for staff remuneration is being used to get the figures to balance.

“Employee related costs have been budgeted at N$365 126 020 for 2026, up from N$306 329 326 in 2025, which includes N$13 542 034 for a 13th cheque.

“Are these bonuses performance based? As municipal services are falling short and the town is visibly struggling, performance bonuses should be justified by measurable improvement,” he said.

Bramwell also proposed that an internal auditor be appointed to contribute to remuneration and budget proposals.

While supporting the replacement of compactors for the cleanliness of the town, he called on investigations into the total collapse of especially refuse collection trucks.

He urged the municipality to have a business-minded approach focused on efficiency, measurable performance, and sustainability.

Councillor Ephraim Shozi also rejected the budget.

“This budget is a show-off. We have made many mistakes and we have to accept them. What is a budget without the input from the community? It is an insult to the community of Walvis Bay,” he said.

N$272 million of the capital budget was allocated for land development projects, and N$152 million for infrastructure repair and replacement.

This includes critical upgrades like street rehabilitation, pothole repairs, and water and sewerage system improvements.

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