Windhoek residents have been reacting with mixed feelings regarding the municipality's latest decision to charge when one reports maintenance-related matters to the city.

Residents will pay forty cents for each text message they send to the municipality.

Residents now have a platform where they can report incidences, such as water leaks, pipe bursts, overflowing and blocked sewers, and power outages, allowing the municipality to attend to these matters.

Asked what some residents think about the service on social media, some said, "It's a great idea for quick service delivery."

However, they are of the view that City Council should get a free SMS line considering that residents are already paying excessively for some municipal services.

One resident said it's a "good idea in case of an emergency," while another said, "We don't have 40 cents for every SMS."

When asked how the municipality came up with the idea and why residents should pay for the SMS service, City of Windhoek Spokesperson Harold Akwenye said it's the same as paying for any other text message service.