Havana residents demand rubbish skips

Residents near the Havana four-way are urging the City of Windhoek to provide rubbish skips, saying a dumpsite behind their homes is creating a foul smell.

Fransina Shou, who has been living in the area for over 20 years, says rubbish is burned and people defecate and urinate in the open near her home.

“When it rains, water flows into our homes. I have two children aged 12 and 23. This is not healthy for us. We cannot continue to live like this,” she says.

Shou adds that she pays municipality rates for the erf, but continues to live at a place that poses a health risk.

The residents also accuse vendors along the road of dumping rubbish, including leftover food, in the area.

Another resident, Kariiwe Kazonganga, who has been living in the area since 2013, says they cannot eat properly at their homes because of the unhygienic environment.

“This has been going on for a year. We want to know what happened to the previous skip that was removed,” he says.

“We urge the municipality to provide a skip to collect the waste and clean up the area,” Kazonganga says.

“I cannot say the vendors must go away because they are not the only ones who dump rubbish in the area. Residents across the road also dump rubbish here mostly at night,” he adds.

Annalize !Urikhos says she used to clean the area, but people keep using it as a toilet and dumping their rubbish.

“There are 12 people including children with three homes in this yard,” she says.

City spokesperson Lydia Amutenya says the residents’ request for the orange skips has been recorded for further action.

Affirmative Repositioning Khomas regional chairperson Sem David questions what the waste management department is doing to keep the city clean.

“We are not referring to the cleaning campaigns where we see people picking up plastics and paper on the streets.

The city should prioritise dirty riverbeds and neglected drainage systems that pose severe health risks,” he says.

Many communities lack bins or have limited access to waste management, making it impossible for residents to comply with hygiene standards, David adds.

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