CoW revises Otjomuise, Okuryangava electrification plan
During their most recent meeting, the Windhoek City Council approved the revision of their five-year electrification plan, the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the City and the UNDP, as well as an application to lease a portion of the Khomasdal sports ground to erect base transceiver stations.On the revision of the City’s five-year electrification plan, Council said that on the advice of the department of housing, property management and human settlement, two informal areas were withdrawn from the City’s electrification plan for the year.
According to a media statement, this is because residents in those areas are not settled as per the approved township layouts. The two areas, Otjomuise Extension 8 and Okuryangava Extension 8, will be replaced by Havana Extension 1 and Okuryangava block erven 3216, 3192 and 3193.
Power to markets
Furthermore, the following informal marketplaces will be electrified during the 2021/2022 financial year: Bonsmara Market (Northern Industrial Area); Windhoek Flea Market (Mandume Ndemufayo Avenue); Herero Mall (Clemens Kapuuo Street); Katutura Industrial Stalls (Leonard Auala Street), Otjomuise Industrial Stalls (Beijing Street); and Pionierspark Market (David Hosea Meroro Street).
The provision of individual, pre-paid electricity meters to the traders will benefit the City by ensuring that the electricity provision is safe for the traders and their customers while reducing electricity theft as split pre-payment meters will be installed which cannot easily be tampered with. Furthermore, it will improve revenue collection at the marketplaces through prepayment electricity sales and stimulate the economic activities of the traders at the market places.
According to Council, these activities will be the last phase of the current five-year electrification plan. The department of electricity successfully provided individual electricity connections to over 3 350 households since the start of the implementation of the electrification plan in 2018.
Base Transceiver Stations
The City of Windhoek will lease a rooftop portion on erf 5378 (municipal head office) and a portion of erf 4840 (Khomasdal sports ground) to MTC for N$872 and N$16 362 per month respectively. MTC plans to install three antennas and a base transceiver station on the rooftop and a temporary mobile tower, for a period of one year, on the erf in Khomasdal.