City powers up informal settlements
Residents of Mix Settlement and 11 other informal settlements are a step closer to accessing electricity as the City of Windhoek pushes ahead with an electrification programme that will connect 1,298 households to the power grid. The progress was highlighted during site visits late last week, where Mayor Sakarias Uunona, Deputy Mayor Albertina Amutenya, councillors, City chief executive officer Moses Matyayi and engineers inspected areas earmarked for electrification and briefed the media on the rollout.
Mix Extension 1, in the Windhoek Rural Constituency, recorded the highest number of households ready for connection, with 267 homes already wired and awaiting activation. Otjomuise Extensions 6 and 7 followed with 209 completed household connections.
The electrification programme spans four constituencies and will benefit a total of 1,298 households.
In the Tobias Hainyeko Constituency, 492 households are set to receive electricity, including residents in ERF 3870 (Di Tsa I Mu Saving Group A), ERF 3871 (Di Tsa I Mu Saving Group B), ERFs 3221, 3217, 3271, ERFs 3197, 3198 and 3204, as well as Morning Star A and B.
The Windhoek Rural Constituency will see all 267 households in Mix Extension 1 connected, while 260 households in the Moses //Garoëb Constituency will benefit from the electrification of ERF 1030 Portions A.1, A.2 and A.3.
In the Khomasdal Constituency, 279 households are earmarked for connection, including those in ERF 1355, Otjomuise Extensions 6 and 7, and the area opposite Otjomuise Clinic (ERF 3161).
According to the City, the programme is expected to improve living conditions by providing safer homes and creating new opportunities through reliable access to electricity.
Meanwhile, residents of the Kilimandjaro 3315 Informal Settlement met City officials last week to discuss a range of challenges affecting the community, including sanitation, electricity, safety, water supply and municipal services. Residents also raised concerns over the lack of street names and overcrowding, with multiple households occupying single erven.
The City reported progress in the settlement, noting that more than 200 households have signed lease agreements and have already been connected to electricity. Safety also featured prominently during the discussions, with residents expressing concern over loud music from bars, unlicensed establishments and reports of gunshots in the area.
Both the City and community representatives proposed strengthening community policing and improving cooperation with the City Police to address crime and enhance safety. The engagements form part of the City of Windhoek's ongoing efforts to improve service delivery and living conditions in informal settlements through infrastructure development, land tenure formalisation and greater community collaboration.
