Local government and local democracy are all about working with communities to create the areas and services that people want and need. Communication is key to this, if the views and priorities of local people are to be captured and understood. Recognising this, the City of Windhoek, Namibia, continues to engage its residents through regular public meetings.

On 17 September 2025, the City held its third meeting with the Windhoek East Constituency, where the Council’s team shared key achievements from 2021-2025, highlighted ongoing challenges, and listened to residents’ concerns.

Two way discussions

These platforms also allow questions to be addressed directly, or referred to the appropriate departments. The meeting allowed for several projects aimed at improving the constituency to be discussed, including:

• Community facilities: plans to adopt a new park have been submitted, and an existing playground has been approved for upgrading;
• An new heating system to the Olympia swimming pool;
• The City has completed bush clearing across multiple sites, covering a total of more than 8 hectares.

From a health and safety perspective, the city police have introduced several initiatives under the Smart Policing Programme, including:

• Strengthening collaboration with residents through working groups, enabling direct communication with officers;
• Traffic law enforcement by targeting reckless driving and red-light violations to improve road safety, supported by technology-based monitoring;
• By-law enforcement, addressing issues such as noise, illegal dumping, and street trading, with an emphasis on cooperation from residents;
• The constituency currently has 54 CCTV cameras, with plans for additional installations planned in crime-prone areas to enhance safety;
• The Avis Dam Safety Analysis has been successfully completed to guide sluice management and reduce flood risks.

Commitments

Through these projects and initiatives, the City of Windhoek has reaffirmed its commitment to improving service delivery, safety, and urban development in Windhoek East. Through these public meetings and by engaging directly with the people, the City is also demonstrating its commitment to listening to contituents and involving them at each stage.