Marching For Action

I ALWAYS wonder why we as community must first demonstrate or go on strike before programmes that are already in place are implemented by those we vote into power or positions.

Last year the residents of Takarania township in Mariental had to demonstrate, before the town council members left their air-conditioned offices to lay pipes for the resident to have flush toilets. As I am writing that programme has stalled as usual and nothing has been said or done, maybe until the residents march again. Nobody wants to be part of the problems facing the residents staying in shacks under such degrading, inhuman and insulting circumstances. More shacks pop up every day, but the council seemingly is doing very little to improve the living conditions of those residents. It has been 22 years since independence and there is no indication from the council that Mariental will in the near future have a industrial park or an open market where we as black people come together and do business to empower ourselves. Because of the absence of such open market, or any other facilities, we are forced to rent matchbox size buildings for exorbitant prices. All the buildings we are renting either belong to Van der Merwes or De Langes, and we are forced to pay such high prices for rent. We are left with no choice, while by voting for my party, I did so to have a choice. All our lives, we have been enriching the same people up to now and are still renting their places to earn a little living. It is unbelievable that after such a long time, the council is not even thinking to construct a open market for us to do business in our own environment. As a youth there are no opportunities created for us to maximise our potential businesswise. It’s a shame that residents with so much potential to grow are denied these services while the Namibian government provides development funds every financial year to regions for residents to be developed and empowered.

Name Withheld
Mariental

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