Council Meeting Update - 03 September 2026 | Walvis Bay

Oct 22

7 min read

Disclaimer: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of our analysis, all information contained in this article is provided without warranty and it remains every person's responsibility to fact-check details. This is especially the case if the OCM Minutes have not yet been published.

This Ordinary Council Meeting covered an extensive list of items, plus answers to Sets 3 and 4 of JWBRA Questions submitted.

Regulations for car washes and noise control were considered and adopted - now they just have to go through the national government's lawmakers. This can take multiple years. There were a lot of land matters, as usual, plus some budget items, an amnesty and a public auction on the agenda.

Below is a short breakdown of what this means for Walvis Bay residents.

Video for the Council Meeting Update - Walvis Bay

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Key Decisions at a Glance

Moving Ahead:	Noise Control Regulations Car Wash Regulations MURD-mandated resolutions on financial management
Delayed:	Petition by HIHCO
Needs Follow-Up:	Development of a framework for socio-economic projects (Izzy Cranes) Questions Set 5 MOU with the NCCI

What This Means for Residents

Answers to JWBRA Questions

We submitted Question Sets 3 and 4 at the end of June and finally got (some) answers in September. Having raised the issue of unaddressed complaints and RedForce, we were assured that these were a priority but no useful information was given. We also asked about the RA projects, Namport's water arrangements and an internal roads repair team. These answers are going to set us up to find out more in the future.

Read on to find out everything important in our Council Meeting Update for Walvis Bay!

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Admin Points - From Financial Management to Letter Corrections

MURD Resolutions on Financial Management

There were 25 resolutions made at the Financial Management Workshop for Regional and Local Authorities, held in July 2026. The Management Committee recommended these be adopted, which includes a monthly financial update from administration and tracking of the execution of these resolutions. If followed, such actions should improve financial accountability in the Municipality.

Other Matters

The MC recommended that the Municipality enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI). There is no official information on what that entails, so we'll update this once it becomes public.

Erf 35 in Dolphin Beach is in the process of being rezoned to increase the density to 1:300. The approval letter from the Municipal Town Planners, dated 14 October 2025, apparently contains a typing error, which the MC duly recommended to be fixed at this meeting.

Budget & Finances (Annual Financial Statements 2024, 2025, 2026 and Others)

4 drivers who volunteered to drive buses to the Eswatini sports trip in September each received N$3,000 as an incentive for the task. The Namibian Maritime and Fisheries Institute (NAMFI) requested a sponsorship for their gala dinner, which was granted. As mentioned previously, the Municipality has a set budget for S&T as well as donations.

Because a great number of invitations to festivals, gala dinners and expos have been received this year, the MC recommended that the administration create a guiding framework for handling such invites in future. As they come with substantial costs, we welcome this suggestion.

The Municipality also received royalties from ErongoRED during the 2025/26 financial year, but the agenda did not disclose the amount. The MC submitted a report on the recent amnesty period, during which over N$1 million in interest was waived and nearly N$10 million in debts recovered. There will likely be a new amnesty period soon.

If you haven't seen it already, the "Blue Ray" waterslide at Dolphin Park is up for auction and should be sold and removed before the resort opens on 1 November 2026. As for the Annual Financial Statements (AFS), MC recommended that Council take note of the status of the AFS from 2024 to date. What that status is was not disclosed in the agenda.

Transfer of Funds

To continue the installation of CCTV cameras around town, N$500,000 needed to be defrayed from the CCTV Camera Maintenance Vehicle (budgeted at N$2 million). Additionally, smaller amounts were transferred between capital project items to settle an outstanding invoice that apparently could not be paid the previous financial year due to a delayed project handover. We wonder if the contractor incurred any penalties for this delay.

Community: New Regulations and two Petitions

On 10 August, the Hand in Hand Community Organisation (HIHCO) submitted a petition outlining delayed processing and lack of feedback on their land application at Farm 37. It has been two years since HIHCO started engaging the Municipality and so far their application has not been tabled in Council.

A petition that was tabled, however, is the one by the Okapare Fisherman Association of Namibia (OFAN), alleging corruption in the October Seafarers Land and Housing Federation. The petition was first included at the Council Meeting of 7 July 2026, where it was referred to Council and MC with the aim of being discussed at the next meeting (28 July 2026). That didn't happen, but it was discussed at this meeting and some steps were taken to prevent mismanagement. Seeing as OFAN was in the news for trying to submit their petition in September 2025 already, we really hope this brings the relief they sought.

Both the Noise Control and Car Wash Regulations were referred to an Informal Discussion Meeting on 8 September, after which they would be resubmitted to October's Management Committee Meeting. It is unclear why this was necessary.

i-Consult Information Technology Business Systems donated 7 computers worth N$21,000 to the library, where they will surely be of good use to students and members of the public.

Land Matters

Acquisitions & Leases

Muatunga Investment Group applied to reserve Erf 6267 (between the Wastewater Treatment Works and the mall, adjacent to Union Street) for them to develop a mix-used residential establishment. The MC recommended that approval be granted on conditions of EIA and other assessments, as this area is a wetland.

The company has to conduct the necessary studies in the next 12 months and provide quarterly updates to Council.

Property Two Six Four Rooikop Road applied for purchase of the remainder of erf 1940, but was referred back to administration for more clarity. The MC should review the clarified application in October.

Makhulu Investments applied to reserve Portions 6 and 7 of Farm 58 for a lease, as they want to establish an industrial laydown yard, specialised cleaning and corrosion control facility. The MC also recommended to grant a conditional approval, which will lapse in 12 months if the necessary documents and studies are not submitted.

As mentioned before, the area behind Dune 7 is earmarked for industrial development, and it really looks like we're going to get a whole lot of it in the next year or so.

Izzy Cranes applied to purchase Remainder of Erf 5899, Extension 14, which the MC recommended for approval at N$650 per square metre. Conditions of the sale include compliance with all relevant laws and the development of a framework for socio-economic support projects. We might make a note to follow up on this, as we are curious to see what they come up with.

Rezoning

Erf 1564, Meersig Extension 2 is supposed to be subdivided, with Portion 1 being rezoned to a 1:300m2 density.
Erf 1667, Walvis Bay - rezoning and consent to proceed with existing land use. The agenda first says "from Single (...) to General Residential with a density of 1:100m2" and then "to General Business with a bulk of 2.0". Considering the betterment fees are set at 40%, the latter is more likely but remains unconfirmed.
Erf 6418, Kuisebmond Ext. 1 - rezoning from General Residential to General Business (Bulk 2.0)
Erf 938 Walvis Bay - rezoning from Single Residential to Institutional with consent to operate a private school while the application is in process. Commendable conditions imposed include operating hours, limits on the number and ages of children and the provision of valid Police Clearance Certificates (this is in line with the Child Care and Protection Act 3 of 2015).

An application was tabled for the subdivision of the Remainder of Farm 58 (the industrial area behind Dune 7), into eight portions and Remainder. Portions A-F thereof are supposed to be rezoned from Undetermined to Heavy Industrial (Bulk 1.5). The item also contained an application for consent to commence construction of a strategic petroleum storage facility.

The MC reommended this item for approval, under conditions that Portion H was transferred to the Municipality at no cost to them after completion of the surveying and conveyancing, as well as other general conditions related to the construction of the facility and access roads.

Disputed Cases

The MC recommended to not approve an application to rezone Erf 563, Langstrand Ext. 2 (in Longshore Street) from Single Residential to General Residential and decrease the density from 1:500m2 to 1:150m2, but instead rezone to a density of 1:250m2. This now goes to the Urban and Regional Planning Board, and if the applicant was unhappy with the decision, they could have appealed to the Minister of Urban and Rural Development within 21 days after receiving notice of this decision.

Another disputed case concerns Erf 601, Meersig (No. 60/62, Kavambo Nujoma Drive along the lagoon), which was supposed to be rezoned from Single Residential (1:500m2) to General Residential 2 (1:100m2), with consent for a hotel and consent to proceed with construction while the application is in process. There were also some alterations needed on the Title Deed.

The MC recommended to approve the rezoning but not the construction of a hotel while the rezoning is in process. It remains unclear whether the hotel can be established once the rezoning is complete.