Debt collection firm contracted by multiple Namibian municipalities, including Windhoek and Walvis Bay, facing legal challenges and contract terminations.
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September 2026
The Namibian
RedForce Debt Management CCwas taken to court byWena Investments along with the municipality
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“The High Court on 3 September ordered the municipality and those acting under its direction to refrain from disconnecting the water supply of Wena Investments, which had taken the municipality and RedForce Debt Management CC to court.”
RedForce Debt Managementlost its contract withthe City of Windhoek
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“The expiry of RedForce Debt Management's contract with the City of Windhoek has widened a national shift away from outsourced municipal debt collection, with several local authorit...”
RedForce Debt Managementhad its contract expirewith City of Windhoek on Friday
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“The City of Windhoek says it will resume collecting overdue municipal debts through its internal resources following the expiration of its contract with RedForce Debt Management on Friday.”
RedForcewill have its debt collection contract with City of Windhoek endon 31 July 2026
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“Speaking to the Windhoek Observer, City of Windhoek spokesperson Harold Akwenye confirmed that the municipality's contract with RedForce will officially expire on 31 July 2026, after which the city will temporarily take over debt collection through its internal Debt Collection Division until a new service provider is appointed.”
RedForce Debt Managementis pursuingN$9.2 million claim against Rundu Town Council
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“Debt collection firm RedForce Debt Management and the Rundu Town Council will have to wait two more weeks for a judgement on a claim for N$9.2 million RedForce is pursuing against the council in the Windhoek High Court.”
RedForceis claimingcouncil members held meetings with debtors encouraging non-payment
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“RedForce is also claiming that members of the council held meetings with the local authority's debtors to encourage them not to pay debts when requested to pay by RedForce, and that they encouraged debtors not to cooperate with RedForce when it tried to collect debts and data in terms of its agreement with the council.”
“RedForce's owners subsequently filed a defamation lawsuit and claimed the minister attacked them because he is failing to pay his bills at Katima Mulilo.”
RedForce Debt ManagementallegedSankwasa had unpaid accounts debt of N$140 000 at Katima Mulilo
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“Last year, debt collection company RedForce Debt Management alleged that Sankwasa had a history of unpaid accounts debt after it tried to recover N$140 000 in debt from two houses at Katima Mulilo.”
The Minister of Urban and Rural Development has directed Walvis Bay municipality to act by 30 September on the attorney general's legal opinion regarding its contract with RedForce Debt Management, which he says is flawed because it was not co-signed as required by law. The directive follows a High Court order on 3 September that barred the municipality and RedForce from disconnecting water supply to Wena Investments, which had sued over debt collection fees and disconnections.
The Minister of Urban and Rural Development has directed Walvis Bay municipality to act by 30 September on the attorney general's legal opinion regarding its contract with RedForce Debt Management, which he says is flawed because it was not co-signed as required by law. The directive follows a High Court order on 3 September that barred the municipality and RedForce from disconnecting water supply to Wena Investments, which had sued over debt collection fees and disconnections.
Urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa has ordered Walvis Bay Municipality to halt its debt collection agreement with RedForce Debt Management, recover allegedly wasted funds, and investigate the contract's execution. The municipality's management committee chairperson confirmed the agreement is invalid because it was not executed in accordance with the Local Authorities Act — it was signed by technocrats rather than the required chief executive officer and management committee chairperson.
The City of Windhoek has ended its contract with RedForce Debt Management and will handle debt collection internally, resuming administration of accounts and charging 20% interest per annum on overdue accounts.
RedForce Debt Management's contract with the City of Windhoek has expired, reflecting a broader shift by local authorities away from outsourced municipal debt collection.
The City of Windhoek says it will resume collecting overdue municipal debts through its internal resources following the expiration of its contract with RedForce Debt Management, and will continue charging 20% interest per annum on overdue accounts together with prescribed disconnection fees.
The City of Windhoek's debt collection contract with RedForce ends on 31 July 2026, after which the municipality will resume internal debt collection through its Debt Collection Division until a new service provider is appointed. The /Khomas Rate Payers and Residents Association has warned residents not to enter into new payment arrangements with RedForce beyond the contract expiry date.
Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa has criticized the Henties Bay municipality's acting chief executive officer as the "poorest of poor performers" amid a water crisis where residents cannot purchase prepaid water after the service provider suspended vending in June over a contractual dispute. The minister's concerns centre on the stalled implementation of an approximately N$27 million prepaid water meter project and has formally objected to the acting CEO's appointment as substantive CEO.
The City of Windhoek announced a reduction in debt from N$888 million to N$869 million, but residents criticized the municipality for spending heavily on salaries while service delivery remains poor, citing issues with waste collection and road repairs.
Judge Orben Sibeya dismissed RedForce Debt Management's claim against the Rundu Town Council for N$9.2 million, finding that RedForce failed to prove the council repudiated their agreement and that the agency itself breached the contract by consistently failing to meet its monthly debt collection target of N$5 million. The judge ordered RedForce to pay the council's legal costs.
Debt collection firm RedForce Debt Management is suing the Rundu Town Council for N$9.2 million over an alleged breach of a 2020 debt-collection agreement, claiming the council sabotaged its work and prevented it from meeting targets; the town council denies the allegations and contends RedForce failed to meet performance targets first. A High Court judgment scheduled for Friday has been postponed to 13 March.
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.
Politicians have criticised the Office of the President for failing to hold Minister James Sankwasa accountable after he made xenophobic comments about a Zimbabwean journalist, with opposition figures and analysts arguing the Presidency should have condemned his remarks rather than deflecting responsibility to the relevant line ministry.
Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa faced backlash after making xenophobic comments about journalist Tracy Tafirenyika, who is Zimbabwean-born, following her article reporting that he owed NamWater N$174,000 in bills. Media bodies, civil society, and opposition politicians condemned Sankwasa's remarks as discriminatory attacks on a journalist doing her job, with calls for him to retract and apologise.
Urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa owes N$174,000 to NamWater, drawing accusations of hypocrisy after he recently pressured councillors to settle outstanding bills. Sankwasa attributed the debt to an account inherited from his late mother and said he is attending to its settlement, while critics argue he should have led by example.