Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698754479774.pdf (Namibia)
MOTIVATION SPEECH BY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PARLIAMENTARY STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS, NATURAL RESOURCES, AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION ON THE REPORT ON THE MOTION ON THE WRITING OFF DEBTS OWED TO NAMWATER BY COMMUNAL FARMERS IN NAMIBIA Hon.

Speaker Honourable Members It gives me pleasure to motivate the report on the Motion on the writing off water debts owed to Namwater by communal farmers in Namibia.
Hon Speaker, distingUished Members of this august house allow me before I present a brief summary of the report on behalf of the Committee on Economics, Natural Resources and Public Administration to give you a brief background on the Motion at hand and how the Committee handled the Motion.

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The Motion on Writing off Debts owed to Namwater Honourable Speaker, Honourable Members: just to refresh your memories, as most of you are aware, the Motion was first introduced and comprehensively motivated by the Honourable Katuutire Kaura.

President of the DTA, on 22 October 2003.

The motion of the Honourable Kaura, which, at that time, asked for the abolishment of NamWater, was, after extensive debate, voted against by the majority of the National Assembly Members, on 4 November 2003.
Five years thereafter, the Secretary General of the DTA, re-introduced the same motion, on 22 October 2008.

Again the said motion was comprehensively and seriously debated.

Honourable Venaani requested that the Motion be referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics, Natural Resources and Public Administration.
As tabled in this House by Hon Venaani during September 2008. the motion was referred to the Committee in October during 2008 for further investigations, scrutiny and report back on the findings thereof.

The Motion premised on the notion to write off all debts owed by communal farmers to Namwater so that affected communities could start on a clean slate and with Namawter devising new stringent measures to be put in place to ensure payment is effected on time.
The said Report was not tabled in the Chamber, by the Chairperson of the said Committee, and due to the National and Presidential elections in 2010, this very important motion lapsed.

On 19th June 2012, Hon.

Arnold Tjihuiko.

re-introduced the findings and recommendations for the urgent approval of this Honourable House.
After a long debate in this Chamber, it was recommended that the motion be referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics, Natural Resources and Public Administration for the Committee to compile an inclusive report with all the recommendations by the various motions tabled in this Chamber and to report back to this Chamber.

The motion also makes reference that this report thereafter refer to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry for further action.
The Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry reiterated that his Ministry is ready to receive a copy of this report.

The Hon.

Minister stated that they believe that the findings and recommendations contained in this report will, greatly enhance and enrich the aforesaid Ministry's submission to the Cabinet.

with regard to the possibility of GRN subsidizing the provision of water to the genuinely poor people in Namibia. '
The Committee after extensive deliberations during its regular scheduled meetings revisited the report on the Motion on water debt owed to NamWater by poor rural or communal farmers in Oshikoto, Ohangwena, Oshana and Otjozondjupa regions.
During the recess of August 2012 the committee undertook familiarization visits to the Omaheke and Otjozondjupa regions, in its interactions with the various communities 2 and local authorities, the Committee found that the water issue on afford ability IS crosscutting throughout all the regions including towns and villages.

The Committee therefore set up a set of specific targeted intervention recommendations which might lighten the water debt burden to the vulnerable members of our society, e.g.
pensioners orphans, unemployed, people living with HIV/Aids as well as the rural communal farmers Hence the committee proposed in some of the recommendations that different tariff structures be considered for the above-mentioned categories.

Hon.

Speaker, with these few remarks and not wanting to pre-ernpt the discussions due to take place on this report, please allow me to quickly deal with the recommendations hereto attached.

I so Move Honourable Speaker ,.,