15 Nov 2020

Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) is owed about P50 million in the North West District.

Speaking during a workshop in Gumare recently, the corporation’s head of business in Maun, Mr Thabo Ndadi said 50 per cent of the debt was from domestic connections, 26 per cent from government departments and 24 from the district council.

He said P50 million was a lot of money that when paid, could boost the corporation’s revenue.

To address the issue, Mr Ndadi said in the near future WUC would accountants of various departments to get feedback on what could be the cause of delay in payment of bills.

On another matter, Mr Ndadi said vandalism of WUC infrastructure remained one of the major hindrances in the corporation’s efforts to provide uninterrupted water supply in Gumare and surrounding areas.

He said incidents of destruction, particularly along the Etsha-Gumare pipeline were rampant and this had led to frequent water outages in the area.

“It is sad that our chambers and pipes are being vandalised for purposes of watering livestock,” said Mr Ndadi.

Mr Ndadi therefore appealed to the community to work together with the corporation to fight vandalism of WUC infrastructure.

Okavango Sub-district Council chairperson, Mr Mpoke Karapo, was also concerned about the level of vandalism in the area, noting that it was disappointing to see people vandalise WUC infrastructure to water their livestock.

He also encouraged the community join forces with WUC and law enforcement officers in the fight against vandalism. Ends