City structures car wash operations
The Windhoek municipality is focusing on regulating car washes amid the renewed threat of empty dams.
The topic of car wash operations remains high on the City of Windhoek's agenda amidst continuing concerns about water shortages and a need to ensure concerted water saving strategies.
Following a strict clampdown on illegal car wash operations for more than the past year by City authorities, notably during the height of water restrictions, recent council agenda minutes show the City is increasingly putting in place measures to improve control of formal and informal car washes.
Emphasis has been placed on accommodating a wide variety of car washes, including formal and informal operations, with the goal of ensuring all comply with water saving and other regulations.
“Today, car washes take many forms in Windhoek, from the formal conventional car washes found at service stations, to small business entrepreneurs using a bucket system to wash cars at informal markets,” minutes from the recent City of Windhoek council meeting showed.
The minutes indicate that City authorities are “aware of the difficult economic conditions under which many of the city's residents live. It is keen to promote initiatives that will lead to increased job opportunities.”
In line with this, the municipality's car wash committee recommended that informal or small businesses “also have to be accommodated in ways that promote economic growth while adhering to certain minimum standards and conditions.”
Four distinct types of car washes have been approved, each with its own set of requirements to comply with in order to be able to operate legally, in addition to general requirements for car wash operations that all are required to adhere to.
Conventional car wash operations “as run by commercial businesses”, was identified as the first type.
Second were car washes operated from residential properties.
“This category will cater for previous informal/illegal car washes from residential erven in mostly the north-western areas of the city.”
According to studies, car washes have mushroomed in the north-western areas of Windhoek as an income-generating activity for many low-income residents.
According to research, 115 car washes were registered at the City of Windhoek recently. According to a January 2017 petition compiled by affected car wash operators in the north-western parts of Windhoek, approximately 300 to 500 car wash operations, many informal, employ more than 2 500 people.
The letter stated that many of these employees were “unskilled or semi-skilled” and the car wash operations provided a critical job option.
The third category officials are looking at is mobile car washes, which have been on the increase in Windhoek and usually operate from either public or private parking areas.
In addition, municipal managed car wash operations, such as the communal car wash sites in Eveline Street and future developments under consideration currently, and the municipal fleet washing bay have been identified as a fourth category.
City officials noted that the “need to manage and control car wash operations” is based on the recent drought and ongoing concerns about water shortages, challenges to monitor and regulate car wash businesses and non-compliance by operators in the industry.
The City recently warned consumers to urgently limit water consumption, following a mediocre inflow of water to the supply dams.
“Should current conditions prevail, the city will be headed towards another critical water shortage phase ... We urge residents to implement water savings measures, so the city doesn't run dry,” the municipality said last week.
Other concerns raised by lack of regulation and oversight of car wash operations include infrastructure built without legal building plans and approval by the municipality, a lack of and under-capacity of sewer infrastructure and damage to sewer systems and spill-over, especially in areas dense with informal car wash operations, onto pavements and streets resulting in damage to infrastructure.
JANA-MARI SMITH
Following a strict clampdown on illegal car wash operations for more than the past year by City authorities, notably during the height of water restrictions, recent council agenda minutes show the City is increasingly putting in place measures to improve control of formal and informal car washes.
Emphasis has been placed on accommodating a wide variety of car washes, including formal and informal operations, with the goal of ensuring all comply with water saving and other regulations.
“Today, car washes take many forms in Windhoek, from the formal conventional car washes found at service stations, to small business entrepreneurs using a bucket system to wash cars at informal markets,” minutes from the recent City of Windhoek council meeting showed.
The minutes indicate that City authorities are “aware of the difficult economic conditions under which many of the city's residents live. It is keen to promote initiatives that will lead to increased job opportunities.”
In line with this, the municipality's car wash committee recommended that informal or small businesses “also have to be accommodated in ways that promote economic growth while adhering to certain minimum standards and conditions.”
Four distinct types of car washes have been approved, each with its own set of requirements to comply with in order to be able to operate legally, in addition to general requirements for car wash operations that all are required to adhere to.
Conventional car wash operations “as run by commercial businesses”, was identified as the first type.
Second were car washes operated from residential properties.
“This category will cater for previous informal/illegal car washes from residential erven in mostly the north-western areas of the city.”
According to studies, car washes have mushroomed in the north-western areas of Windhoek as an income-generating activity for many low-income residents.
According to research, 115 car washes were registered at the City of Windhoek recently. According to a January 2017 petition compiled by affected car wash operators in the north-western parts of Windhoek, approximately 300 to 500 car wash operations, many informal, employ more than 2 500 people.
The letter stated that many of these employees were “unskilled or semi-skilled” and the car wash operations provided a critical job option.
The third category officials are looking at is mobile car washes, which have been on the increase in Windhoek and usually operate from either public or private parking areas.
In addition, municipal managed car wash operations, such as the communal car wash sites in Eveline Street and future developments under consideration currently, and the municipal fleet washing bay have been identified as a fourth category.
City officials noted that the “need to manage and control car wash operations” is based on the recent drought and ongoing concerns about water shortages, challenges to monitor and regulate car wash businesses and non-compliance by operators in the industry.
The City recently warned consumers to urgently limit water consumption, following a mediocre inflow of water to the supply dams.
“Should current conditions prevail, the city will be headed towards another critical water shortage phase ... We urge residents to implement water savings measures, so the city doesn't run dry,” the municipality said last week.
Other concerns raised by lack of regulation and oversight of car wash operations include infrastructure built without legal building plans and approval by the municipality, a lack of and under-capacity of sewer infrastructure and damage to sewer systems and spill-over, especially in areas dense with informal car wash operations, onto pavements and streets resulting in damage to infrastructure.
JANA-MARI SMITH
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