Staff Reporter
THE City of Windhoek is accelerating its electrification programme, with 1 298 households across 12 informal settlements set to be connected to the electricity grid as part of efforts to improve living conditions and expand access to basic municipal services.
The progress was highlighted during site visits on Friday by Mayor Sakarias Uunona, Deputy Mayor Albertina Amutenya, councillors, City of Windhoek chief executive officer Moses Matyayi and municipal engineers, who inspected areas earmarked for electrification and received updates on the project.
Mix Extension 1, in the Windhoek Rural Constituency, recorded the highest number of households ready for connection, with 267 homes already wired and awaiting electricity. Otjomuise Extensions 6 and 7 follow with 209 completed household connections.
Photos: City of Windhoek (CoW)
The electrification programme covers four constituencies.
In the Tobias Hainyeko Constituency, 492 households will receive electricity, including residents in ERF 3870, ERF 3871, ERF 3221, ERF 3217, ERF 3271, ERFs 3197, 3198 and 3204, as well as Morning Star A and B.
The Windhoek Rural Constituency will see 267 households in Mix Extension 1 connected, while 260 households in the Moses //Garoëb Constituency, located on portions of ERF 1030, will also benefit.
In the Khomasdal Constituency, 279 households in ERF 1355, Otjomuise Extensions 6 and 7, and the area opposite the Otjomuise Clinic will be connected to the grid.
The city said the programme is expected to improve safety, living conditions and economic opportunities by providing residents with reliable electricity.
Meanwhile, city officials also met with residents of the Kilimandjaro 3315 informal settlement to discuss service delivery challenges, including sanitation, electricity, water supply, safety and municipal services.
Residents raised concerns over overcrowding, street naming, loud music from bars, unlicensed businesses and reported incidents of gunfire.
The city said more than 200 households in the settlement have already signed lease agreements and have been electrified, while proposals were made to strengthen community policing and cooperation with the City Police to improve safety.
The municipality also launched the lease-signing process for residents of Groot Aub Extension 2 as part of its land tenure programme.
The City said officials will conduct door-to-door verification visits to confirm property boundaries, household information and service needs before lease agreements are finalised.
Properties that align with the approved township layout will proceed to lease signing, while residents occupying undemarcated or unaligned areas will receive Land Occupation Certificates until planning and township processes are completed.
Addressing residents, councillor Demetreo Beukes described the lease agreements as the first step towards secure land tenure and eventual ownership.
“These lease agreements are an important first step towards secure land tenure. They provide residents with legal recognition of their occupation while the remaining statutory processes required for the issuing of title deeds are being completed,” he said.
Beukes said residents not included in the current phase would be incorporated once the Groot Aub Local Structure Plan has been completed and approved.
He also clarified that lease payments are intended to fund municipal services such as water, sanitation, refuse removal, roads and street lighting, and do not constitute payment for ownership of the land.
The City said the electrification and land tenure initiatives form part of its broader efforts to formalise informal settlements, improve access to municipal services and support sustainable urban development.
