Banner Left

300 workers, 1 house, 1 toilet

300 workers, 1 house, 1 toilet

THE Windhoek Municipality has given a set of ultimatums to a company accommodating more than 300 foreign workers in cramped conditions in a house in Windhoek West.

Following complaints from neighbours, City officials yesterday ordered that illegal building renovations be stopped immediately, rubble and garbage be removed from the area and that alternative accommodation be sought for newly-hired Bangladeshi workers of the Ramatex Textile Factory. Deon Gertze, a local representative of the agency Eastern Overseas which is bringing the men to Namibia, confirmed yesterday that the Municipal officials had visited the property and set ultimatums.A property is currently being rented while a sales transaction is in process to buy the property.Gertze acknowledged that he had not yet received municipal permission to build ablution and shower facilities on the property.He told The Namibian that the facilities were to make the workers as comfortable as possible in the absence of suitable accommodation in the City for such a large group.”We tried to make it as comfortable as possible.We were just trying to do the best we can.If there was other suitable accommodation I don’t think Eastern Overseas would have a problem paying for it,” he said.He said the arrangements were only for six months until Ramatex built a hostel for the workers.The agency is also responsible for feeding and transporting the workers.The men who have been arriving in spurts over the past month, are living in confined and overcrowded conditions.Every room of the house is jampacked, including the garages and patio, with only one toilet to share.Yesterday, clothes hung from wire spun across the windows, with no cupboards to store luggage which stood in any remaining available space.City spokesperson Ndangi Katoma confirmed that current activities on the property contravened the Windhoek Town Planning Scheme.He said notice had been served on the property owner Flip Bredenhann that the orders had to be complied with within 28 days.Last year, the City’s Health Division also investigated a complaint of overcrowding on the premises when it was rented by businessman Aziz Kyababa.At least 60 people were found to be living in the house at the time.Kyababa has in the past been involved in accommodating Asian workers employed at the Ramatex Textile Factory, which led to the eviction of several hundred Chinese nationals who were illegally occupying an abandoned Government hostel in the City.As the working day drew to a close yesterday, several Bangladeshi workers demanded their passports from security guards at the premises saying they wanted to return home.Their unhappiness was sparked by reports that several groups of between 20 and 50 men would arrive in the coming days to share their minimal living space.Some have to share their single mattresses which they received over the weekend after their frustrations boiled over into a food fight which security guards had to quell.The men complained to The Namibian last week that they were suffering from diarrhoea because of the poor quality of the food and having to share one bathroom.They have been hired at a monthly rate of U$120, with a third of this amount being deducted for their food – generally large quantities of rice and some meat.The group said they hoped that the Bangladeshi High Commissioner based in Pretoria would arrive in the country this week to tend to their concerns.Deon Gertze, a local representative of the agency Eastern Overseas which is bringing the men to Namibia, confirmed yesterday that the Municipal officials had visited the property and set ultimatums.A property is currently being rented while a sales transaction is in process to buy the property.Gertze acknowledged that he had not yet received municipal permission to build ablution and shower facilities on the property.He told The Namibian that the facilities were to make the workers as comfortable as possible in the absence of suitable accommodation in the City for such a large group.”We tried to make it as comfortable as possible.We were just trying to do the best we can.If there was other suitable accommodation I don’t think Eastern Overseas would have a problem paying for it,” he said.He said the arrangements were only for six months until Ramatex built a hostel for the workers.The agency is also responsible for feeding and transporting the workers.The men who have been arriving in spurts over the past month, are living in confined and overcrowded conditions.Every room of the house is jampacked, including the garages and patio, with only one toilet to share.Yesterday, clothes hung from wire spun across the windows, with no cupboards to store luggage which stood in any remaining available space.City spokesperson Ndangi Katoma confirmed that current activities on the property contravened the Windhoek Town Planning Scheme.He said notice had been served on the property owner Flip Bredenhann that the orders had to be complied with within 28 days.Last year, the City’s Health Division also investigated a complaint of overcrowding on the premises when it was rented by businessman Aziz Kyababa.At least 60 people were found to be living in the house at the time.Kyababa has in the past been involved in accommodating Asian workers employed at the Ramatex Textile Factory, which led to the eviction of several hundred Chinese nationals who were illegally occupying an abandoned Government hostel in the City.As the working day drew to a close yesterday, several Bangladeshi workers demanded their passports from security guards at the premises saying they wanted to return home.Their unhappiness was sparked by reports that several groups of between 20 and 50 men would arrive in the coming days to share their minimal living space.Some have to share their single mattresses which they received over the weekend after their frustrations boiled over into a food fight which security guards had to quell.The men complained to The Namibian last week that they were suffering from diarrhoea because of the poor quality of the food and having to share one bathroom.They have been hired at a monthly rate of U$120, with a third of this amount being deducted for their food – generally large quantities of rice and some meat.The group said they hoped that the Bangladeshi High Commissioner based in Pretoria would arrive in the country this week to tend to their concerns.

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!

Latest News