The Minister of Urban and Rural Development, James Sankwasa, has demanded answers from the residents and leaders in Rehoboth over the town's growing debt to national utility providers.
Sankwasa warned that water and electricity supplies could be cut off if the situation is not resolved.
Speaking during a community engagement at Rehoboth, Sankwasa said the town's outstanding debts to NamWater and NamPower have escalated over the past six years.
Rehoboth owed N$3 million for water in 2020; however, five years later, the debt had surged to N$145 million.
Money owed to NamPower is approximately N$140 million.
The minister said the government had already intervened in the past to help local authorities settle their utility bills.
During the 2023/2024 financial period, Rehoboth received N$34 million to address water debt and N$36 million for electricity arrears.
Despite this support, the minister said the situation continued to deteriorate.
"Because of that bill, I was rushed to Rehoboth to come and sit with the council so that I could appreciate what caused this bill. How did this bill rise from N$3 million to N$145 million? Yes! How did it rise? And what about the previous council that was there to account for it? When that council took over, the amount was N$3 million. Yes! As they were leaving the office, it was N$145 million. What happened?"
Sankwasa stressed that local authorities are legally mandated under the Local Authorities Act to provide and manage essential services, such as water, electricity, sewage, and land management.
"Everything you receive, you pay. Now, why have you, as residents of Rehoboth, failed to pay for the water and the electricity? Why? And what do you want the government to say and do? Because the government clearly wanted you to do something, and you refused to add to that. You refused to have prepaid electricity because it's sold. That's what I've been informed you refused."
The minister urged residents to work together to find solutions and ensure accountability from elected leaders.