Rosh Pinah protests over poor service

RESIDENTS of the Tutungeni informal settlement at Rosh Pinah are complaining of poor service delivery by Roshkor and the Oranjemund Constituency’s regional councillor, Eliphas Iita.

Roshkor, which is owned by the Skorpion Zinc and Rosh Pinah Zinc Corporation mines, administers the Rosh Pinah mining settlement. Residents marched on Wednesday to petition for better service delivery, accusing Roshkor of neglecting its duties in Tutungeni. In a petition handed over to Roshkor management, the protestors claimed they were paying monthly service fees ranging from N$55 (households) to N$88 (businesses), yet sanitation in the area was ‘shocking’. ‘No sewerage system in Tutungeni. Community uses the bucket toilet system,’ the petition reads. The residents claimed that a lack of rubbish removal and maintenance of dusty roads posed health risks. They claimed they were being charged an exorbitant connection fee of N$1 500 to have water supplied to their houses. The residents also complained of a discriminatory electricity billing system. According to them, shebeen owners pay N$50 for 28,5 units of electricity while home owners receive 36,5 units for the same amount.They demanded proper sanitation, tarred roads, affordable water and electricity tariffs and the immediate proclamation of Rosh Pinah as a town. In addition, they want the service fees for land scrapped until their land is serviced. The residents also took issue with Iita for his alleged empty promises on improving service delivery in their area. Admitting that the Tutungeni informal settlement lacked service delivery, Iita said his office was hard at work to declare the area as a settlement and Rosh Pinah as a town.’People must understand that government cannot invest money in land which is privately owned,’ said Iita. Roshkor manager Stefan Saayman declined to comment.The residents’ spokesperson, Immanuel Kabila Shikongo, vowed that they would continue with the protests if Roshkor failed to respond to their concerns within five days.

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