Also known as: the Katima Mulilo Town Council · Katima Mulilo Town Council CEO
Katima Mulilo Town Council — municipal authority overseeing the town of Katima Mulilo, addressing sewerage infrastructure, flood relief, and local development projects.
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March 2026
The Namibian
Katima Mulilo Town Counciltemporarily relocated15 families displaced by heavy rains
Source
“The Katima Mulilo Town Council has so far temporarily relocated 15 families to Ngweze Community Hall after their houses were flooded as a result of heavy rains since January.”
Katima Mulilo Town Councilhave been deployedto fix the blockage
Source
“Katima Mulilo circuit inspector Rosco Lukubwe, during a press conference on Monday, said the Ministry of Works and Transport and the Katima Mulilo Town Council technical staff have been deployed to fix the blockage.”
Katima Mulilo Town Councilfaces serious internal challenges includinglabour disputes and flawed staff realignment process
Source
“There are serious internal challenges, including labour disputes within the council workforce and a flawed staff realignment process that requires correction.”
Katima Mulilo Town Councilwas fired forgiving a businessman prime riverfront land in return for luxury cars and gifts
Source
“When he fired the Katima Mulilo Town Council for giving a businessman prime riverfront land in return for luxury cars and gifts, many seemed to cut him some slack for appointing a corruption convict to replace the town's administrators.”
Katima Mulilo Town Council has handed over the site for a N$450 million wastewater treatment plant to contractor Fulbright Water, financed by Standard Bank Namibia and Old Mutual. The 13 to 14-month project aims to address persistent sewerage problems while creating local employment opportunities.
Katima Mulilo Town Council has handed over the site for a N$450 million wastewater treatment plant to contractor Fulbright Water, financed by Standard Bank Namibia and Old Mutual. The 13 to 14-month project aims to address persistent sewerage problems while creating local employment opportunities.
Zambian music star Yo Maps will perform live on Saturday at Zambezi Riverside Resort near Katima Mulilo after the Katima Mulilo Town Council denied the organisers access to the Katima Mulilo Waterfront. The concert will proceed as planned despite the relocation, according to show promoter Peter Chola.
Construction of the Katima Mulilo Wastewater Treatment Plant has begun following the handover of the project site to Fulbright Water, after delays related to environmental clearance and resident relocation. The project includes the treatment plant, upgraded sewer infrastructure, and network expansion, with about 70–75% of the workforce sourced from the Zambezi region.
The Katima Mulilo Town Council has prohibited Zanami Investment from hosting a Yo Maps concert on 5 September, as it clashes with the ninth Zambezi Bream Festival (30 August–6 September). The council rejected a proposal to collaborate the events, citing that the bream festival is an officially gazetted government event that cannot run concurrently with commercial events.
Urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa says Katima Mulilo's sewage crisis stems from an aging sewer system designed decades ago for 10,000–15,000 people that has not kept pace with the town's growth. The overflowing infrastructure threatens public health and the town's tourism ambitions ahead of the Zambezi Bream Festival.
Sewage allegedly contaminated 64 bags of maize valued at N$27,648 awaiting delivery in Katima Mulilo, heightening concerns about the town's failing sanitation infrastructure and its impact on food safety, public health, and the local economy.
The Katima Mulilo Town Council has resolved to consider writing off debts of qualifying pensioners and people with disabilities. Eligible applicants must visit council offices between 21 and 31 July with required documentation; the scheme applies to those aged 60 and older or with disabilities dating to the Covid-19 pandemic period (2020-2021).
The Katima Mulilo Town Council has launched a verification exercise to identify qualifying pensioners and persons with disabilities for a possible municipal debt write-off.
A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Budget and Finance found that schools, sewerage upgrades and agricultural projects in Zambezi are facing implementation delays because government funds are not reaching implementing institutions on time, despite no major irregularities in fund use being detected.
The University of Namibia and Katima Mulilo Town Council discussed plans for a proposed N$26 million agro-processing plant that would add value to locally grown mangoes and indigenous resources, reduce post-harvest losses, and strengthen regional supply chains and commercialisation.
Katima Mulilo Town Council has resolved to donate two plots in Extension 27 and Townlands no 1328, measuring 2.52 hectares and 6 hectares respectively, to the Ministry of Education to address classroom overcrowding in the town, where most schools have more than 1,000 pupils enrolled.
The Katima Mulilo Town Council has begun repairing potholes and damaged roads following heavy rains, with a N$4 million budget from the Road Fund Administration. Mayor Kabende Kabende attributed delays in repairs to rain and challenges sourcing bitumen, and said an additional N$9 million has been allocated for road works, though progress has been slower than expected due to machinery and material delivery issues.
Flood-affected residents relocated to Ngweze Community Hall in March after heavy rains damaged their homes are being evicted by the Katima Mulilo Town Council by Friday, despite having nowhere to return to and lacking funds to rebuild.
Suspended Katima Mulilo Town Council chief executive Raphael Liswaniso, who won a labour case against his first suspension on 28 October, was suspended a second time on Monday. Liswaniso and his lawyer argue that minister of urban and rural development James Sankwasa forced the council into the latest suspension through a directive letter marked urgent, while a local authorities president raises concerns about the arbitrary suspension of CEOs under political pressure.
The Katima Mulilo Town Council has introduced a dog registration programme requiring owners to pay N$20 for male dogs and N$35 for female dogs by 30 April, citing responsible pet ownership and public safety. Several residents say they cannot afford the fees, with some questioning the price difference between sexes and the council's justification.
A labour arbitrator has set aside the unpaid suspension of Katima Mulilo Town Council CEO Raphael Liswaniso, finding the move unfair and ordering his immediate reinstatement with backdated salary and benefits. The arbitrator ruled that the council's suspension process was fundamentally flawed, as it occurred without proper investigation or hearing and the ministerial representative lacked authority to suspend the CEO.
The Labour Court has ordered the Katima Mulilo Town Council to immediately reinstate chief executive Raphael Liswaniso, who had been suspended without pay since October following an investigation. The arbitrator found that Liswaniso's suspension was unjust and that the council had violated his rights by denying him salary and failing to properly inform him of charges, and ordered the council to pay all his remaining salary.
Rising water levels in the Zambezi River during March displaced residents, caused loss of income, and isolated communities from schools and healthcare. The flooding has also intensified human-wildlife conflict as animals compete for reduced available land, with elephants damaging crop fields in some areas.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is heading to Katima Mulilo to assess devastating floods in the Zambezi Region, where the Zambezi River is approaching the 7-metre mark, displacing communities and forcing school closures. The Hydrological Services of Namibia reports the river has reached 6.89 metres—2.55 m higher than last year—and warns communities to remain on high alert.
The University of Namibia is constructing an integrated wastewater management system at its Katima Mulilo Campus, financed by Germany's KfW Development Bank, to address the town's aging sewer infrastructure that dates to the 1930s and now serves a population of nearly 50,000. The N$60 million facility will serve Unam and the Zambezi Vocational Training Centre while supporting research, training, and water reuse initiatives in the region.
The Katima Mulilo Town Council has temporarily relocated 15 families to Ngweze Community Hall after heavy rains since January flooded their mud houses in the Cowboy, Dairy, and Choto areas. A local councillor says resources are insufficient to assist all affected communities and has appealed to local businesses for support.
The National Democratic Party held a recognition ceremony in Katima Mulilo to honour 25 members for their contributions to the party's performance in the 2024 national elections and 2025 regional and local elections. Party president Martin Lukato praised their dedication and commitment to advancing the party's mission of economic emancipation, job creation, and youth empowerment.
PDM parliamentarian Inna Hengari has questioned the disbursement of N$1.26 million in legal fees related to suspended Katima Mulilo Town Council chief executive Raphael Liswaniso, arguing that such costly legal entanglements deplete public resources and delay essential development.
More than 1,300 pupils at Caprivi Senior Secondary School in the Zambezi region were sent home on Monday due to an overflowing sewage blockage caused by sanitary pads, rocks, and mattress pieces. The school will remain closed for two days while the Ministry of Works and Transport and Katima Mulilo Town Council technical staff work to fix the problem and install a pump station as a longer-term solution.
Re-elected NPD councillor Simasiku Mukendwa outlined his priorities for Katima Mulilo Town Council, citing corruption and maladministration as the council's "biggest enemies" and pledging to reform governance systems, improve accountability, and tackle long-standing service-delivery challenges including roads and sewer infrastructure through gradual, realistic progress.
The Namibian argues that while minister James Sankwasa has gained popular support for firing town councillors and demanding accountability, he has undermined his credibility by owing NamWater over N$170,000 for five years and attacking a journalist who exposed the debt. The opinion piece warns that Sankwasa's selective enforcement of accountability standards and bullying of media oversight reveals his calls for public accountability as populist hypocrisy.