People without water because of ‘confusion’

GOVERNMENT houses at Bethanie village have been without water since last Wednesday.

The Village Council cut the water supply because of arrears in property tax payments. The Namibian has it on good authority that the Works Ministry owes the Council N$27 000 in outstanding property taxes.The move has sparked strong criticism from the Bethanie Taxpayers’ Association (BTA), which called the Council’s actions “illegal, inexcusable and discriminating”.In a media statement on Friday, the BTA claimed that most Government property at the village is “unregistered” and therefore not liable for taxes.The BTA further claimed that tenants living in Government houses had paid their water bills.”The occupants of such properties cannot be penalised due to the fact that the landlord – the Ministry of Works – does not meet its commitments.Services can only be suspended if the lessee is in arrears,” the statement says.Contacted for comment, Village Secretary Willie Humphries said the Council had had to take drastic steps after NamPower threatened to cut the village’s electricity supply because of non-payment.No electricity also means no water, because the pump that supplies water to the village is powered by electricity.Humphries said the water supply to the houses would only be reconnected once the Works Ministry’s property taxes had been paid in full.”The Council is rendering all services and if one is neglected, Council has no choice but to take measures such as these,” he said.According to Humpries, the Ministries of Health, Education and Safety and Security owe the Council N$136 000 in unpaid water bills.He said the Council also suspended the water supply to local schools and the clinic because of non-payment.The acting Head of the Works Ministry in Karas, Christiaan Heydt, said on Friday that most of the affected houses do not fall under the Works Ministry.He said an incomplete decentralisation process because of a manpower shortage in the housing department was to blame for the confusion, which led to ministries refusing to accept responsibility for certain houses.He said a team had been sent to Bethanie to sort out the matter, and payment would then be made by the ministry responsible.The Namibian has it on good authority that the Works Ministry owes the Council N$27 000 in outstanding property taxes.The move has sparked strong criticism from the Bethanie Taxpayers’ Association (BTA), which called the Council’s actions “illegal, inexcusable and discriminating”.In a media statement on Friday, the BTA claimed that most Government property at the village is “unregistered” and therefore not liable for taxes.The BTA further claimed that tenants living in Government houses had paid their water bills.”The occupants of such properties cannot be penalised due to the fact that the landlord – the Ministry of Works – does not meet its commitments.Services can only be suspended if the lessee is in arrears,” the statement says.Contacted for comment, Village Secretary Willie Humphries said the Council had had to take drastic steps after NamPower threatened to cut the village’s electricity supply because of non-payment.No electricity also means no water, because the pump that supplies water to the village is powered by electricity.Humphries said the water supply to the houses would only be reconnected once the Works Ministry’s property taxes had been paid in full.”The Council is rendering all services and if one is neglected, Council has no choice but to take measures such as these,” he said.According to Humpries, the Ministries of Health, Education and Safety and Security owe the Council N$136 000 in unpaid water bills.He said the Council also suspended the water supply to local schools and the clinic because of non-payment.The acting Head of the Works Ministry in Karas, Christiaan Heydt, said on Friday that most of the affected houses do not fall under the Works Ministry.He said an incomplete decentralisation process because of a manpower shortage in the housing department was to blame for the confusion, which led to ministries refusing to accept responsibility for certain houses.He said a team had been sent to Bethanie to sort out the matter, and payment would then be made by the ministry responsible.