Customer Services

• A personal application may not be done on behalf of another person. Applications on behalf of companies/institutions/organisations must be signed by a director or duly authorised representative and the application must bear the official stamp.
• An identification document must be produced with the application. Please state the type of identification (e.g. Namibian ID, German Passport, etc.) on the form.
• Please show the Title Deed or, if the property to be serviced is rented, your Lease Agreement to the enquiry officer.
• Please remember to fill in a disconnection form when vacating the premises as you remain liable for the basic charges and consumption of electricity and/or water until a completed disconnection form is received and processed (an acknowledgement will be handed to you).

• Municipal service accounts are mailed about the 15th day of each month. If you have not received your account by the 30th day of the following month, please contact our Front office Agents immediately (telephone No. 067 302231).
• Your account must be paid not later than the 7th day of the month following the month in which the account was rendered. If the 7th day is not a working day, the next working day will be the last day for payment. Please pay your account as early as possible to avoid the long queues at the month end and the last day for payment.

• Municipal service accounts are mailed about the 15th day of each month. If you have not received your account by the 30th day of the following month, please contact our Front office Agents immediately (telephone No. 067 302231).
• Your account must be paid not later than the 7th day of the month following the month in which the account was rendered. If the 7th day is not a working day, the next working day will be the last day for payment. Please pay your account as early as possible to avoid the long queues at the month end and the last day for payment.

• Please compare the meter numbers and meter readings stated on your statement with the numbers and readings shown by the meters you are using to ensure that you are correctly charged.
• Take your water meter readings at least once per week to detect leakages timeously and also to report meters which got stuck.
• If you want to query high consumptions please take your meter readings before you come to us.
• Report if immediately if your water consumption is estimated for more than two consecutive months.

• Scrutinize your account regularly and report any discrepancies as soon as possible to our Front Office Agents.
• Keep your receipted statements on a safe place for future references.
• Read our monthly newsletter  as it contains important information.

• To apply for Water Provision services you need to:
  • Complete an Application for Water Services Form. Make sure that you include the owners signature (if you are leasing), specify when you want the service to be connected and attach copies of the Lease Agreement and your ID.
  • If the erf is registered as a CC, applicants need to attach a copy of the Founding Statement, the members’ permission, ID’s and signatures.
  • If you intend connecting services for a business, a copy of the business certificate is required.
  • If an applicant is connecting services on behalf of a business or individual, a copy of the Power of Attorney must be attached.

  It is the responsibility of the account holder to ensure that his/her municipal account is paid before the due date. Failing to pay your municipal account on time could lead to your water supply being cut-off. Failing to settle accounts in arrears can lead to legal action being taken against you. The tenant is billed for the water consumption, sewage purification and refuse services. If the tenant absconds or moves out without paying his/her municipal account, the owner is responsible for settling the outstanding municipal account.

• The owner of a property must ensure that the water meter is accessible.  When a water meter can not be accessed, an estimate reading is determined by comparing the water consumption trends of the previous months’ readings. The property owner is responsible for any leakages at water meters or water pipelines in his/her erf.  It is a criminal offense to tamper with or remove a water meter, or to reconnect the water supply after such services have been suspended.

• The Municipality is responsible for providing basic services to everyone living inside its jurisdiction. These services include water, refuse removal and sewerage and other services such as roads, traffic control, public parks, cemeteries etc. In order to provide these services, the Municipality charges residents rates on property. Property rates are paid by owners of all kinds of real property, including commercial, industrial, residential, agricultural and government property.The municipal value of your property is determined by an independent valuer, registered at the institution for professional valuers.  Your property rates are calculated by multiplying the applicable rate with property and improvement values of your property.

  The calculation is as follows:
  (Rate x Property Value p/a) + (Rate x Improvement Value p/a) = (Total property tax p/a)

• All businesses must register with the Municipality in terms of section 94(1) of the Local Authorities Act (Act no 23 of 1992) to obtain a Fitness/Business Registration Certificate. “Business” means any activity operated or conducted for the profit or gain of any person, or is operated or conducted by a non-profit organization, and includes any profession, occupation, trade or industry. Therefore, businesses that need to be registered include all types of traders, manufacturers, home-based general dealers, home industries, day care centres, service providers and occupations such as nurses, tutors, architects, divers, and real estate agents.

The Municipality is responsible for providing basic services to everyone living inside its jurisdiction. These services include water, refuse removal and sewerage and other services such as roads, traffic control, public parks, cemeteries etc. In order to provide these services, the Municipality charges residents rates on property. Property rates are paid by owners of all kinds of real property, including commercial, industrial, residential, agricultural and government property.

The municipal value of your property is determined by an independent valuer, registered at the institution for professional valuers.  Your property rates are calculated by multiplying the applicable rate with property and improvement values of your property.

The calculation is as follows:
(Rate x Property Value p/a) + (Rate x Improvement Value p/a) = (Total property tax p/a)

The Municipality collects refuse from the various suburbs on a daily basis. Residents should note however that only household refuse is removed from properties. Residents and building contractors must take garden refuse and building rubble to the landfill site. The municipal refuse removal teams will not collect garden refuse or building material. Similarly, refuse may not be dumped on vacant erven, on the outskirts of town or on other open spaces.

Council on its meeting of the 14th of August 2014 by Resolution NR 8.10 resolved as follow;

Guidelines for charging of betterment fees as per table below;

Otjiwarongo Municipal Betterment fees

PREVIOUS ZONING CURRENT ZONING MAXIMUM BETTERMENT FEE %
Institutional, private open space – no subsidized price Residential 1
Residential 2 50%
Institutional, private open space – no subsidized price Office, Business 50%
Institutional, private open space – subsidized price applicable Any other zoning 75%
Where land had been provided at a subsidized value which is not going to be recovered in any other way.
Residential 1 Higher density residential 20%
Residential 1 Residential 2 20%
Residential 1, Residential 2 Office or Business 40%
Residential 1, Residential 2, business Industrial 30%
Office Business 30%
Office or Business Increase in bulk 30%
Any zone Institutional No betterment fee
Any zone Special On own merits up to 50%
Undetermined Agriculture Any zone 30%
Special Any zone No betterment fee
Any zone – where an unauthorized activity or illegal building works is being legalized Any zone 75%
Only when legalized use is authorized in terms of the scheme. (Unauthorized uses to be terminated if not compatible with surrounding land uses)
State (Owned by Government) Any zone No betterment fee payable provided land is and remains in State ownership
State (state owned enterprises) Any zone Betterment fee based on existing legal usage before rezoning.
Municipal Any zone No betterment fee
Township development on private land Any zone 30%

Deposit prepayment system
Applicants who receive approval from the Town Council will be required to pay a deposit into a suspense account prior to a rezoning being included in an amendment scheme.
There would then be no ambiguity about who is liable for payment of the betterment fee. The prepayment system is particularly justified in those cases where an applicant may receive consent to commence operations or where operations have been illegally initiated. Any difference in excess between the deposit paid and the eventual betterment fee approved will be refunded. Section 30(1)(u) of the Local Authorities Act 23 of 1992 gives a local authority council the right to claim a deposit as a security for payment of any charges, fees or other moneys.
However, deposits paid to the Town Council will earn interest similar to what the local authority is charging.

Municipal approval of consent uses while rezoning is in process

It is common practice to allow applicants who request rezoning of land, to use the property for the new zoning while the rezoning application is processed. This practice might lead to legal action since objection can still be lodged against the new zoning when the amendment scheme is advertised for comments or objections. Council regards consent uses as temporary uses and the Council is further of the opinion that structural changes to buildings or new buildings may not be constructed before the actual rezoning is affected. Applicants is advice of the possibility of objections to their rezoning s when the Amendment Scheme are advertised and a continuance of the development before the Amendment Scheme has been promulgated could place the development at risk, if the objections are upheld.