We, the residents of this town at various times petitioned government through your Ministry, informing you about our unhappiness regarding the management of our affairs. However, it seems that our plights are not attended to, as those responsible are allowed to continue with their efforts to drain our pockets whilst service delivery remains poor. We during a debate in parliament late last year, realises that petitions did not reach your offices and has therefore invited you to receive our petition.

It is with great concern that we need to inform you again of the problems facing the rate payers of this town. One year has lapsed since the new council took office, and the town of Rehoboth has become a town some of its proud residents could never dreamed of.

Herewith please receive notice of the issues that needs urgent attention. These issues are however not limited to what we provide you with today for your prompt action.

• Service delivery is poor and needs urgent attention. This situation is caused by removing competent Managers and replacing them with incompetent ones.
• The Swapo led Council is not prepared to act against corrupt officials. (Reports such as the Adonai Report and a report by Price Waterhouse and Coopers has shown signs of corruption or corrupt practices at the RTC. Such alleged maladministration were confirmed by the Office of the Auditor General.
• The elected political leaders at the RTC are not prepared to listen to the outcry of the residents but instead do everything possible to protect their interests.
• We are aware of instances whereby residents and UPM Councillors were threatened by Mr Willy Swartz. During early 2016, Mr. Swartz threatened Cllr Pickering at the corner of Banhoff and Church streets in front of Pep Stores. On 16th December 2016, whilst at an event at the RTC, Mr. Swartz deliberately drove into the car of Cllr Farmer. When confronted by Cllr Farmer, he became aggressive, threatened her and had to be stopped by workers and bystanders. Sad to say that junior officials now follow the unruly behaviour of Mr. Swartz. Why is it that Mr. Swartz remains protected? Is protecting elements of corruption part of the policies of the Rehoboth Town Council? We as residents get the impression that some political leaders of the ruling party at the town council and some others hide behind the corrupt practices of Mr. Swartz and support him in undermining his superiors and the aspirations of the Town’s residents. The fact that the RTC is protecting Mr. Swartz at all cost, is regrettable.
• As residents we humbly ask immediate action from you against those who refuse the implementation of recommendations made by your Ministry regarding Mr. Willy Swartz.
• We strongly oppose the site allocated for the new cemetery. We were already forced to live along Sewerage Rivers, as drains are constantly over flowing. We are now forced to bury our family members near the sewerage ponds. We want to bury them in dignity and therefore will not use the site so earmarked. A resolution for the extension of the current cemetery were taken in 2012 already. We demand that the site identified and so resolute by the RTC then, be used instead. We need to mention that the site was prepared and the contractor had been fully paid for the job.
• Furthermore, we were informed that plans are underway to evict residents in Burgershoek. We want the RTC to stop with this action and to assist the landless poor to get land.
• We also want action for the full implementation of the Rukoro Report, as it is clear that the RTC does have land to sell to developers. The exercise to register beneficiaries of the Rukoro Report last year, should be repeated as not all beneficiaries could register on time.
• Allocation of NHE houses has not benefit the residents of this town as we were always referred to Windhoek (NHE) without any solution. You have promised to come back to us with regard to this issue, but nothing has been done since.
• Many residents have paid for the installation of pre-paid water meters, whilst the meters were not installed, with a number of excuses from the RTC.
• We have learned that NAMPOWER would stop the supply of electricity to the town tomorrow, 08 February 2017? We would like to urge you to have this issue investigated as formal households have pre-paid electricity meters.
• The continuous conduction of unlawful Special Council Meetings should be stopped immediately as it has been used to pass resolutions that negatively affect rate payers, as they are not allowed to attend such meetings. The Local Authority Act, Section 14 (b) stipulates as follows`` The chairperson of the local authority council or, if, and for so long as, the office of the chairperson is vacant, the chief executive officer may at any time or, at a request in writing signed by not less than half of the members of the local authority council, shall within 14 days after receipt of such request, convene a special meeting of the local authority council.`` it goes further in stating that``(c) A notice signed by the chief executive officer and containing the time, date and place of, and the matters to be dealt with at, every meeting of the local authority council shall be delivered to every member of the local authority council so as to reach such member at least 72 hours before such meeting.
• We further demand an investigation into the municipal affairs of the top 100 defaulters on municipal accounts, which owns the municipality an amount of N$ 31, 049 601.76. We also need to indicate that the said list referred to is questionable, as the RTC do have a history of an inaccurate accounting system.

Hon Minister, we the undersigned residents would like to thank you for receiving this petition and we trust that this time around our plight would receive the required attention.

Yours frustrated rate payers in Rehoboth