Interview: Residents Demand Fairness as City of Windhoek Faces Electricity Tariff Backlash

By Leonard Witbeen

Katutura Residents Committee representative, Shaun Gariseb, has condemned the City of Windhoek’s approach to electricity disconnections and its handling of the recent power tariff hike application, accusing the municipality of undermining legal directives and acting in bad faith.

Gariseb alleges that last year, despite electricity being subsidised by government, the City of Windhoek unlawfully disconnected power to households over unpaid water bills—something he says is prohibited by law. “You can only block electricity for electricity debts, not other municipal arrears,” Gariseb emphasized. He credited the Electricity Control Board (ECB) for stepping in and directing local authorities to halt the practice, but says the City of Windhoek has since taken the ECB to court in a bid to gain exemption.

“Every other local authority is complying. But the City of Windhoek wants to be above the law,” he said, adding that many property owners have been left without tenants or business income due to these disconnections.

The resident’s representative also raised concerns over the City of Windhoek’s application for a 17% tariff increase—eventually approved at 4%—claiming the consultation process was held in secrecy. “Why announce the meeting on a Sunday night? In Rundu, hearings were postponed when only 15 people showed up. But in Windhoek, residents were deliberately left out,” he said.

He urged the ECB to reject the City of Windhoek’s application until the court matter regarding the earlier directive is resolved, saying, “You can’t demand a tariff increase while simultaneously challenging the authority of the regulator in court.”

Gariseb concluded by warning that residents cannot continue to suffer while the City of Windhoek benefits: “They violate the law and expect everything to go their way. The ECB must stand its ground.”