Fire displaces 150 families at Walvis Bay, municipality warns against illegally occupying NHE land

… more than 100 Kuisebmond residents left homeless as another blaze destroys shacks

Two neighbours try to comfort an inconsolable woman as she watches her life going up in flames.

The firefighters’ instruction is to stay away from the flames, but she is adamant to try and salvage what is left of her belongings, afraid that bystanders would steal them amid the chaos.

“They will steal my stuff . . . they will steal my stuff,” she says as she wipes her tears with the back of her hand.

“Please don’t cry,” one neighbour says. The woman puts her hand over her mouth.

Another resident, wearing a hoodie over her head, takes a chance – careful not to step onto the flames as she pulls an iron bed from the debris.

Just a few hours ago, it was an ordinary Friday afternoon, as residents of the small community, referred to as an illegal settlement near Otweya at Walvis Bay, arrived home to find their shacks on fire.

“I went to work, not knowing what I would find when I get home. I just got a call that my structure burned down. Imagine coming home and finding nothing.

“Imagine wondering what happened to your family. I slept outside with my family for the two nights, while the municipality is trying to find shelter for everybody.

“We are so cold. I think about my children especially. The sad part is that people are bringing food, and it is taken by those who do not live here,” Launa Nambango yesterday told The Namibian.

Paulinus Jonas, another resident, said he could see the fire from afar.

“I was coming from work. When I got here, I just saw fire . . . people crying and running around, and others trying to put out the fire. I am left with nothing.

EVERYONE WANTS HELP

“I have no idea what to do. I am just sitting here. I did not even get a mattress like the other people. Someone lent me a blanket. I am hearing about lists, but I am not even sure if I can get my name on that list, because there were so many people who suddenly showed up to write their names.

“I have never seen them before,” he said.

Clementine Petrus, who has a baby, says she has been left with nothing.

“I wonder where I will house this baby. Some people came with a bit of food this morning. My baby is now about three months old. I do not have any milk or nappies. I am just sitting here in the sun waiting for the way forward,” she said.

The Erongo police have reported that a man died in the fire, although his identity is not known.

The fire destroyed about 80 structures, leaving about 150 families homeless.

The blaze awakened memories of a massive fire that gutted the entire nearby Twaloloka informal settlement in 2020.

The homeless victims eventually received housing.

ILLEGAL OCCUPATION

Some shack dwellers illegally moved to an area near Otweya in January.

The land they were occupying belongs to the National Housing Enterprise (NHE), which is yet to construct houses on it.

“We thought we would eventually also get houses. We are just trying to find homes. We moved around in January and did not realise the land belongs to someone else. We are just trying to survive,” Westly Geinub says.

TAKING ADVANTAGE

Some residents over the weekend said opportunists have been taking advantage of the situation, stealing items from burning shacks.

Meanwhile, the Walvis Bay Municipality has set up temporary shelter for the affected families at a municipal building on Friday, while two large tents were provided as temporary shelter.

Families have also been provided with mattresses, blankets and other essentials by donors.

Meanwhile, the Erongo Regional Council, the Walvis Bay Municipality and other stakeholders mapped out strategies during a meeting on Saturday to respond to the disaster.

‘NO REPETITION’

Walvis Bay Rural constituency councillor Donatus Tegako said there would be no repetition of the Twaloloka fire indicent, adding that aid would be allocated to the relevant people.

“This time, this issue needs to be dealt with administratively. We do not want to repeat Twaloka’s mistakes. Politicians came in with emotions, and we rather created problems than solutions.

“This time, we discovered that more than 70% of the victims are Angolan. It was the same with the Twaloloka issue. When we realised that houses and donations were given to non-Namibians and others who did not deserve it, it was already too late,” he said.

Tegako said immigration officials were to determine today how many victims are Namibian, before more steps are taken.

“Six tents are available. We do not want to give a lot of tents, as it will give them false hope. This time around, we have people to cook for them over the weekend, while the Round Table will hand out food during the week.

“All donations will be be coordinated by the municipality,” he said.

The tents will be taken down on Friday, after which the victims would have to make alternative living arrangements, since the land on which their structures were built belongs to the NHE.

Tegako also urged NHE to start with construction, saying the council and his office cannot keep guarding the site.

Walvis Bay mayor Trevino Forbes called on Namibians not to politicise the issue.

He warned against illegally occupying land.

‘OASIS OF OPPORTUNITY’

“We are an oasis of opportunity, but what message are we sending if we let people occupy land illegally, and give them land to stay on after their shacks burn. “What about people who follow procedures? We need to be very strict in how we approach these things,” he said.

NHE spokesperson Mutonga Matali on Saturday said construction would commence soon.

“We are finalising internal processes for land servicing to kickstart in October. We plan to construct 151 housing units,” he said.
Illegal occupants were warned to vacate the area in August.

Meanwhile, Municipality of Walvis Bay spokesperson Anita Kaihiva said Meanwhile, 70 victims are not Namibians.

She said the municipality will engage the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security this week to pave the way forward.