Apathy rules at Rehoboth

REHOBOTH – Organisations and concerned individuals from Rehoboth say that even though the community is plagued by a host of social ills including HIV-AIDS, alcohol abuse, and unemployment, they are greeted with indifference when they try to mobilise around these issues.

“The people are absent,” says Mimi van Wyk, a local resident involved in the restoration of the town hall after years of neglect. “The people don’t want to become involved.””They just think, ‘It’s not my child or family, so I don’t care’,” she adds.As an example of this apathy, Van Wyk told of how her neighbours ignored the alarm that went off when thieves broke into her business, Rehoboth Huide en Velle.’ETHNICITY A FACTOR’Other residents say that they don’t know who to turn to with their concerns.”We don’t know where to complain,” says Vitaleni Vilho, a resident of the Block E suburb.Vilho feels that ethnic division in the community also prevents people coming together around issues such as alcohol abuse that affect the whole town.”Some think it’s just Block E’s people who have problems, not the rest of the town,” he adds.”The Basters probably don’t have problems, but we have problems.”Rachel Cloete, Chairperson of the Hardap Women’s Voice of Women’s Action for Development (WAD), takes a more cynical view, saying that members of the community only want to complain, but when it comes to addressing the issues no one wants to be involved.”The only time people show up is when we advertise that there’s a meeting and afterwards there’ll be something to eat and drink,” she says.”Then we get a lot of people.”Cloete says that when they organise demonstrations it is mostly schoolchildren who participate.”Everyday we have women who come and complain about rape or violence or non-payment of maintenance.Everyday,” she stresses.”But come demonstration time they aren’t there.””We don’t get co-operation from the people even though we try what we can,” she adds.”Maybe the political leaders, like the Mayor, must motivate the people.”POLITICIANS ‘A PROBLEM’But Teofilis Sakeus, a community activist from Block E, feels that local politicians are part of the problem.”The problem does not only lie with the community, the Town Council is also part of the problem,” he says.”They do not communicate with the community.””People don’t want to vote anymore, because nothing changes,” he adds.”We’ve complained and complained, but nothing happened.The people are tired.”Sakeus says that since most people are struggling just to survive, they don’t have time to complain and ensure they are informed about issues affecting them.However, not all agree that the residents of Rehoboth are indifferent.Kathy Hampe of the Rehoboth Community Club, an informal organisation that mobilises concerned residents around issues such as the environment or shebeens, says that when they send out petitions for signatures, the community was ready to support them.”There is a lot of interest,” she says.”People come and go, but when we go to them with issues, they do stand up.”Hampe agrees that the local authority is not doing enough to communicate with the community.However, Dawid Richter, Chairperson of the Management Committee of the Rehoboth Town Council, says that the local authority should not be held solely responsible for addressing community issues.”All of us carry responsibility,” he says.”The responsibility should start at home.If all of us do our part we can overcome issues affecting our community.”Mimi van Wyk sums up the feelings of those attempting to mobilise the community to tackle their problems:”Rehoboth is busy falling apart.I just hope we realise it has now become time to stand up.”- Nampa-Echoes News Service”The people don’t want to become involved.””They just think, ‘It’s not my child or family, so I don’t care’,” she adds.As an example of this apathy, Van Wyk told of how her neighbours ignored the alarm that went off when thieves broke into her business, Rehoboth Huide en Velle.’ETHNICITY A FACTOR’Other residents say that they don’t know who to turn to with their concerns.”We don’t know where to complain,” says Vitaleni Vilho, a resident of the Block E suburb.Vilho feels that ethnic division in the community also prevents people coming together around issues such as alcohol abuse that affect the whole town.”Some think it’s just Block E’s people who have problems, not the rest of the town,” he adds.”The Basters probably don’t have problems, but we have problems.”Rachel Cloete, Chairperson of the Hardap Women’s Voice of Women’s Action for Development (WAD), takes a more cynical view, saying that members of the community only want to complain, but when it comes to addressing the issues no one wants to be involved.”The only time people show up is when we advertise that there’s a meeting and afterwards there’ll be something to eat and drink,” she says.”Then we get a lot of people.”Cloete says that when they organise demonstrations it is mostly schoolchildren who participate.”Everyday we have women who come and complain about rape or violence or non-payment of maintenance.Everyday,” she stresses.”But come demonstration time they aren’t there.””We don’t get co-operation from the people even though we try what we can,” she adds.”Maybe the political leaders, like the Mayor, must motivate the people.”POLITICIANS ‘A PROBLEM’But Teofilis Sakeus, a community activist from Block E, feels that local politicians are part of the problem.”The problem does not only lie with the community, the Town Council is also part of the problem,” he says.”They do not communicate with the community.””People don’t want to vote anymore, because nothing changes,” he adds.”We’ve complained and complained, but nothing happened.The people are tired.”Sakeus says that since most people are struggling just to survive, they don’t have time to complain and ensure they are informed about issues affecting them.However, not all agree that the residents of Rehoboth are indifferent.Kathy Hampe of the Rehoboth Community Club, an informal organisation that mobilises concerned residents around issues such as the environment or shebeens, says that when they send out petitions for signatures, the community was ready to support them.”There is a lot of interest,” she says.”People come and go, but when we go to them with issues, they do stand up.”Hampe agrees that the local authority is not doing enough to communicate with the community.However, Dawid Richter, Chairperson of the Management Committee of the Rehoboth Town Council, says that the local authority should not be held solely responsible for addressing community issues.”All of us carry responsibility,” he says.”The responsibility should start at home.If all of us do our part we can overcome issues affecting our community.”Mimi van Wyk sums up the feelings of those attempting to mobilise the community to tackle their problems:”Rehoboth is busy falling apart.I just hope we realise it has now become time to stand up.”- Nampa-Echoes News Service