Rehoboth community in fear over flood-damaged bridge

Members of the Rehoboth community doing a daily commute to Windhoek for work say some of them slept safely in their beds during Thursday night, while others could not.

This is after a bridge on the road between Windhoek and Rehoboth was damaged by a river in flood on Thursday.

“Yesterday was really iconic. I with others, however, managed to cross the bridge, got a ride and arrived home safely,” Leroy Jansen said.

“I got home late, tired and stressed, but I am thankful to have made it home, because many people were not as lucky as me. Some people spent the night at the bridge,” Jansen said.

Jansen recounted that walking through water, sand and rocks was not easy for him.

“I had to remove my shoes. My feet got hurt. My clothes were dirty. My entire body is sore. It was not easy for us, but the main aim was to get home to our families. I have a wife and children at home who were waiting on me,” Jansen said.

Jansen said although he was home, he did not sleep well on Thursday night because he was worried about other people who were not home.

Bernice Beukes said the partial collapse of the bridge about 30 kilometres from Windhoek was very fast and many people did not make arrangements for their children’s safety.

Beukes said she and her sister had to sleep at the bridge with others who also could not get home.

“I had to call my family to look after my children. My children are used to being with me every night. I am a single parent, their father passed away. Last night my sons had to sleep alone for the first time in their lives, but I am glad they were safe,” Beukes said.

Beukes expressed disappointment about the government remaining mute about the matter.

“The bridge breaking was not any of our fault, but we were affected. Why did the government not try to give some form of help? They are just ignoring the problem and comfortably going on with their events, Namibia’s 35th Independence Day anniversary and the swearing-in of the fifth president of Namibia, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. At this moment I feel as if we are not important to our government. We really deserved better from them,” Beukes said.

Beukes thanked the Roads Authority (RA), however, for its hard work and determination to help solve the problem. “Despite the challenging wet conditions the construction of the bypass is ongoing. The team really remained committed to expediting the construction. The team’s dedication has motivated me to remain calm despite the various challenges I am experiencing,” Beukes said.