Warmbad residents protest government ‘neglect’ and water crisis

Warmbad residents in the //Kharas region took to the streets on Monday saying the settlement has been neglected by the government and those entrusted with service delivery, including the Bondelswarts Traditional Authority.

The group’s spokesperson, Charles Laberloth, says residents in the communal area do not have access to potable water during the day and must wait until 02h00 to get small amounts of water.

Laberloth says the community in the communal areas used to receive water every other weekday, now they barely receive anything.

UNEQUAL DEVELOPMENT

“The way things are managed, especially at Warmbad, gives us the feeling that it is the Odendaal Plan again, just in another government, just systematically.

And it is painful that Warmbad has been neglected for these past years by the government and people we entrusted,” says Laberloth.

The Odendaal Plan was a series of proposals to establish territories in Namibia dedicated to the separate and unequal development of different ethnic groups in Namibia.

Laberloth says buildings donated by private individuals as well as those under government custodianship are under dispute, hampering the socio-economic development of the community.

One building mentioned is the AK Business Centre, also known as the ‘Yellow Building’, where the traditional authority is reportedly in an ownership dispute with the chiefs’ council.

The building was reportedly donated by Franka Severin for the socio-economic development of the community, and housed a needlework project which has since ceased operations.

“We believe the traditional authority was financially benefiting from the building’s rental deal, while the community receives nothing. We call for government intervention into the centre’s ownership dispute,” says Laberloth.

Furthermore, residents say the restaurant at the Warmbad Hot Springs Lodge is still in a poor condition after a storm damaged the roof more than a year ago.

“The //Kharas Regional Council is the custodian of this building. While numerous reports have been sent to the office from the settlement office, it fell on deaf ears,” he says.

PASSING THE BUCK

Senior councillor of the Bondelswarts Traditional Authority Hans Jossop confirmed the traditional authorities’ ownership of the AK Business Centre, but denied benefiting financially from the business centre’s rental agreement and instead blamed the Bondelswarts royal house.

“With the longstanding chieftainship succession dispute, things are done in contravention of the customary law and in the name of the supposed royal house, with the royals taking ownership of these things.

We want the government to investigate the centre’s rental agreement,” says Jossop.

Royal house representative Hendrik Christiaan denies any involvement in the rental agreement and called for a stakeholders meeting to be held to address the concerns.

“We do not have any knowledge about the lease of that building, nor are we aware of any operations taking place there. Similarly, we have no involvement in that matter,” says Christiaan.

The rural water supply and sanitation directorate regional head, Carlos Cloete, has acknowledged the water challenges faced by the Warmbad community.

“Some of the places at Warmbad have saline water, meaning these communities have to go somewhere to get water.

Because the government wanted to address that, that’s why we came up with a desalination plant. The directorate is also considering small pipe connections to ensure access to potable water for all communities,” says Cloete.

//Kharas Regional Council chief regional officer Ralph Sachika told a local broadcaster the council is not the rightful custodian of the lodge.

“The council facilitated a public-private partnership between the community and an investor for management of the facility.

However, the partnership deal expired, and since then, the facility has fallen into a state of neglect.

But the council is exploring ways, such as approaching Namibia Wildlife Resorts for a new partnership deal,” says Sachika.