For many, the new year came with a sense of excitement and fresh beginnings, but for others, it came with devastating floodwaters sweeping through shacks in Windhoek.
Otjomuise resident Angelica Puuahe (15) almost drowned in the heavy rain on Saturday afternoon.
“It started with a few drops of rain, then a sudden flood. We were inside the house with my mother when all of this was happening, and next thing we knew, our shack was filled with water.”
According to Puuahe, the water level reached her neck.
“I remember my mother shouting for us to leave the house because the water was so much, then I was holding on to her. The water pressure was so strong that we lost balance and I lost her hand.”
Luckily a group of men from the neighbourhood rescued me,” she says.
Puuahe’s mother, Rudolfine Puuahe, says they have lost everything, including her daughter’s school stationery, food items and clothes.
“We are pleading for the government to please relocate us to a safer place, somewhere we can live just like anybody else. We are tired of asking for the same thing for years now.
“To be honest, if it was not for the neighbours, I would have lost my daughter because she was unable to swim. This should ring a bell to the government because for so many years we have been crying over the same thing over and over again,” Rudolfine says.
The torrential rain which persisted throughout the night turned streets into rivers and left residents in the areas of Havana, Okurangava and Otjumiuse sweeping away mud and seeking alternative accommodation.
The destruction not only caused a trail of wreckage but also took an emotional toll on many homeless Namibians who were forced to watch their livelihoods disappear.
William Kakwena (73), who was one of the flood victims at Havana, says the heavy rains started while he was doing some Christmas shopping.
“My Christmas was completely ruined. I had to leave all the groceries after I was informed by our neighbours that our homes are flooded.
“I did not celebrate anything anymore, instead we spent our Christmas sweeping water and rescuing our important documents,” Kakwena says.
Like many residents, Kakwena’s story is one of loss.
He had kept his family’s precious belongings in a small corner of their home, a space now obliterated by the flood.
“I lost everything: the small items I held dear, and even the school uniforms I had carefully prepared for my children,” he said.
Kakwena told The Namibian that Christmas has never been so sad as he had his 16-year-old daughter come to him for the holidays, but then leave without any school stationery.
“There is no money anymore as I had budgeted. She went back to the village hoping that her father would buy her school stationery like I normally do, but this time around, nothing.”
The Landless People’s Movement (LPM) has called for a state of emergency to be declared in informal settlements to address the ongoing challenges posed by floods.
Landless People’s Movement (LPM) Youth Command leader Duminga Ndala says there is an immediate need to relocate flood victims from their homes and provide them with temporary shelters.
“The Office of the Prime Minister must step in to assist the victims by supplying essential items such as food and clothing, and a state of emergency should be declared in the informal settlements to prioritise immediate and long-term interventions,” she says.
Ndala adds that the LPM, through its City of Windhoek councillors, needs to assess the situation on the ground and engage with members of the private sector to mobilise resources and assistance for the victims.
LPM emphasises the importance of improving urban planning to ensure that regulations are in place to avoid settlements in flood-prone areas.
CHEAPER LAND SERVICING
Independent Patriots for Change spokesperson Imms Nashinge says the government should implement ways to reduce the cost of servicing land that moves away from the use of tenders.
“The state and the municipality can service the land without bringing in middle people, which makes everything more expensive,” he says.
The long term solution, Nashinge says, is tackling economic challenges which force people to build homes in areas that are unsuitable for human settlement.
RELOCATION
Swapo Party Youth League president Ephraim Nekongo calls on the municipality and the Office of the Prime Minister to acquire permanent arrangements to ensure residents do not return once the rain stops.
“Our call from the youth league is that the city council must find a place where these people can be resettled permanently,” he says.
He calls for the public to donate whatever they can to those affected.
“We call all loving Namibians to support where they can; be it with clothes or food, for our displaced people.”
RED CROSS
Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani on Sunday called on the Office of the Prime Minister to evacuate flood victims from their damaged homes.
“We call upon the emergency unit in the prime minister’s office to outline a clear plan to evacuate and assist Namibians affected by floods in the city of Windhoek,” Venaani said.
He said damage to homes is recurring when floods happen. He further urged the City of Windhoek to allocate plots to affected communities.
PDM spokesperson Geofrey Mwilima says the Office of the Prime Minister should engage with non-governmental organisations, such as the Red Cross, to donate tents, water supplies and food parcels.
He also says there should be “education on the disaster in question” as well as training on how to survive during this time.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!
