WINDHOEK: The Kalkrand Village Council currently has no prospects of recovering N.dollars 24 million owed by residents in rates and taxes, its chairperson, councillor Helenie Auses, has said.

Responding in an interview with Nampa recently, Auses said the council has no reasonable expectation to recover the astronomical debt from its residents due to persistent unemployment and high levels of poverty in the community.

She said the debt affects the council’s ability to undertake new infrastructural development and acts as a hindrance to timely responses to the demands of the local people.

‘In turn, the council also owes NamPower and NamWater huge amounts and is seeking the permission of the National Government for these debts to be written off as generational debts,’ she said.

She noted that out of every 10 unemployed residents, only three are absorbed in the labour market or participate in some kind of economic activity. The low number is attributed to the virtual absence of tangible economic sectors in Ka
lkrand, which in ideal situations could stimulate the local economy.

Auses further noted that in the previous financial year, the council installed 210 prepaid water devices and three standpipes at a cost of N.dollars 1 130 000 to curb the escalating water debt and enhance revenue collection.

She also said the leadership of the council resolved in late 2023 to formulate a smart economic development strategy aimed at re-branding and attracting serious economic players to the village, offering a beacon of hope for the community’s economic revitalisation.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency