Politicians angry at Municipality

RALLY for Democracy and Progress (RDP) Secretary for Information Jeremiah Nambinga has slammed the Windhoek Municipality’s decision to terminate third part electricity provision, calling it draconian.

In a statement the RDP has expressed dismay and disappointment at the City of Windhoek’s (Cow) decision to terminate prepaid electricity service provision via a third party.’Moreover, it is equally astonishing that as residents and ratepayers, we have not been informed or given an advance warning of the reasons which warranted the termination of the contract,’ Nambinga’s statement reads.He lambasted the fact that the CoW took the decision on Wednesday, ‘but put the information in the public domain only on Thursday, July 28.’According to the RDP, the CoW’s ‘arbitrary and thoughtless’ action has caused immeasurable hardship for the residents and ratepayers of Windhoek.’This demonstrates the arrogance and insensitivity of the Swapo dominated Council of the City of Windhoek. It is further testimony to the power-blind and power-hungry nature in which decisions affecting the lives of the City’s residents are taken,’ the statement reads.The RDP regards the Windhoek Municipality’s decision as ‘symptomatic of the situation in Zimbabwe’ and has called on the CoW to revisit its ‘draconian decision.’All People’s Party (APP) president Ignatius Shixwameni has also condemned the CoW’s decision to cancel the prepaid electricity vendor service, and has questioned the motives behind the move.’It was a terrible decision, you don’t just decide overnight to cancel such an agreement without giving notice to those who will be affected most,’ the APP president said. Shixwameni said that the issue between the CoW and Namibia Electronic Payment Terminals is immaterial and should not have affected Windhoek residents in the way that it has as the Municipality is a service rendering institution.Congress of the Democrats (CoD) president Ben Ulenga expressed shock and disappointment at the manner in which the CoW is ‘conducting its work,’ when he was asked to comment on the decision to suspend the prepaid vendors service. Ulenga further condemned the Municipality’s attempt to explain the situation away ‘as though it were a leaf falling on the ground.’’This callous and careless decision of the Municipality and the fact that no prior warning was given is indicative of the contempt which the City of Windhoek has for its residents,’ the CoD President said.Khomas Regional Councillor for the Tobias Hainyeko Constituency Zulu Shitongeni was equally scathing, saying that the decision was ‘premature, and shows that the management is not capable.’ Shitongeni further expressed unhappiness at the manner in which the CoW has addressed the issue and the fact that it was not communicated to the public in advance.A Windhoek resident has described the experience as ‘utterly incompetent,’ saying that Windhoek’s municipal workers should be ashamed of themselves for their poor preparation as well as their ‘don’t care’ attitude.