Residents in the Windhoek municipal area owe the municipality 150 million Namibia dollars and the debt age is 75 days on average. Fillemon Katoma, the City’s acting chief for communication, revealed this marketing and customer care this week. He said the City had "credit control and policy procedures" in place, but failed to elaborate how successful they were in the light of the huge debt. This is frustrating not only for the local authority, but also those residents who faithfully pay their municipal accounts every month. Already numerous illegal backyard businesses, noise pollution in residential areas by inconsiderate neighbours, illegal trading by mainly illegal foreigners at shopping centres and increased littering in suburbs show that the City of Windhoek is beginning to lose control over these problems.