Swakop municipality helps destitute family

The Swakopmund Municipality on Thursday responded to a social media video depicting a family living in deplorable conditions, taking a proactive step in addressing the growing prevalence of homelessness at the town.

The footage featured a mother and her two children at Swakopmund living in harsh circumstances.

“Upon picking up on the footage, we immediately took measures to assist them. Yesterday, we set up tents for them, and today we have continued to send up temporary structures, which include a one-bedroom unit that will be extended in the near future,” municipal spokesperson Linda Mupupa said last week.

The mayor’s office has also provided the family with food hampers and a temporary structure to serve as a home until a permanent solution has been found, she said.

Mupupa implored the public to engage with the mayor’s office directly when confronted with similar situations.

“It is beneficial to make recordings and posts on social media, but it is wiser to actually visit the municipality,” she said.

The incident comes a day after the Swakopmund municipal council met with law-enforcement and social services stakeholders to address issues relating to increased crime at the town.

Swakopmund mayor Dina Namubes acknowledged the widespread challenges faced by community members, ranging from unemployment and poverty to early school dropout and crime.

She expressed her concern over increasing numbers of beggars and street children at the town.

“We need to fast-track the implementation of solutions to curb further damage. The council alone will not be able to solve these challenges,” she said.

The issue of street children was echoed by the Swakopmund Residents’ Association chairman John Hopkins, who said: “We were told there is no monetary budget at all for the children, and that the majority of those begging were choosing to beg rather than go home or to school.

“There are only three social workers coping with all the needs of Swakopmund and Henties Bay – an impossible task with no budget.”

Hopkins said the association is trying to coordinate a programme indicating the location of all soup kitchens in the area.

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