Home to over 67 000 residents, the Tobias Hainyeko constituency in the heart of Katutura is grappling with widespread hunger, a crisis recently confirmed by its constituency councillor Christopher Likuwa.
As part of New Era’s pre-election coverage initiative, the news team interviewed Likuwa to discuss the constituency’s development progress, successes and pressing challenges which need to be addressed ahead of the upcoming regional councils’ elections. The elections are less than five months away. In November this year, eligible Namibian voters are expected to elect new representatives for regional and local authorities, two critical pillars of development at both levels.
During the interview, he did not hold back in describing the depth of hardship in his community, nor the weight of his office.
“People come here crying – hunger. You must act on hunger,” he said.
“This seat is hot. You can’t see the smoke, but I have been feeling the fire. This office is hot – very hot. Unlike what people may think from the outside, it’s not about following a programme. Life itself writes the directive. When people knock, crying for help, you don’t check a programme of the day – you act,” he stressed.
One of the most troubling challenges is the growing food insecurity in the constituency.
Likuwa revealed that at one point, approximately 8 800 residents were registered for food aid through the Harambee Food Bank initiative.
However, following a recent review, that number has plummeted to just 800 beneficiaries. “Imagine, more than 8 000 people were removed from the food programme. That’s not a small number,” he said, visibly pained.
“Now, they come to my office every day, asking for food. But there’s no food at the office. Sometimes you’re forced to dig into your pocket to help,” he stated.
He paused, then continued with raw emotion. “Some of them, you can just see from a distance that they haven’t eaten in days. Your heart breaks. As a leader, you don’t want to see people die in front of you, and you end up buying food with your own money,” he said.
Shortly before the New Era news crew arrived, a couple who had not eaten in three days had just left Likuwa’s office.
Leonarda Mutaneka (36) and his partner Otilie Nghuumbilemo (50) came to seek help.
They are both unemployed, and have been surviving without any food support.
“We were once part of the Harambee Food Bank,” said Nghuumbilemo. She added: “But we were removed from the list. We started collecting firewood to survive, but I had to stop due to health problems”. Both are on long-term chronic medication, which only adds to their misery.
Desperate and weak, they turned to Likuwa for help. In response, he swiftly, from his own pocket, bought tins of fish from a nearby shop.
A member of the Community Development Committee (CDC) stepped in to contribute a 10kg bag of maize meal to sustain the couple.
“This is not sustainable. This issue needs urgent attention before people start dying from hunger”, Likuwa warned.
Another issue that gives him sleepless nights is the frequency of shack fires in the constituency’s informal settlements, which make up roughly 70% of the area.
“Every month, we lose three to five houses to fire. That’s people’s entire lives gone in minutes,” he lamented. In response, his office provides emergency support, blankets, food and basic items to affected families. “We’re also doing fire awareness campaigns. We bring the City of Windhoek to talk to people at public meetings about how to prevent fires. But it’s not enough,” he admitted. The councillor is equally concerned about food insecurity.
“People say urban areas are not hungry. That’s not true. People are suffering,” he said.
He pointed to rural migration as a contributing factor.
“Every day, new people come in from the North, from the villages, thinking they’ll find work here. Many end up in shacks, jobless, with children to feed,” he continued.
Likuwa painted a picture of a constituency straining under socio-economic burdens, unemployment, informal housing and a growing population largely settled in unplanned areas.
“People come here from rural areas every day, hoping for a better life. But not all of them find jobs. Many live in shacks, sharing communal toilets and taps. And when there’s no food or no income, they come to the office,” he said.
Despite these hardships, Likuwa’s tenure has seen notable developments. Under his leadership, the constituency has distributed school uniforms to vulnerable children, built over 1 500 toilets to improve sanitation, and rolled out income-generating projects for small businesses.
“We helped Kapana vendors buy freezers and pots. We supported seamstresses with sewing machines. We’re doing what we can – even with a tiny budget of N$250 000 a year,” he revealed.
“Last year, we helped 19 people. This year, we’re targeting 21,” he said.
Education remains a top priority.
The councillor proudly cited the establishment of Mount View Secondary School, the constituency’s only high school.
There are efforts to upgrade the school to include grade 12.
The school is performing impressively, despite being in the heart of an informal area.“We gave out uniforms to vulnerable children across four primary schools and Mount View Secondary School. We also bought computers for schools to promote digital literacy,” he said.
In education, the councillor lamented children having to walk up to seven kilometres to attend school in neighbouring constituencies.
“We need more schools and hostels. You can’t control children in informal settlements. They leave home and wander around. But our schools are still performing well,” Likuwa noted.
They are now planning an information and communication technology centre to offer computer literacy training to young people.
“The equipment is ready. We’re just waiting to finish office renovations before we open the centre,” he said.
His office has likewise invested in micro-enterprises. Looking ahead, the councillor said 21 more small business owners are set to benefit this year.
Asked how the reality of the office compares with his earlier vision, Likuwa reflected candidly.
“Before I got into office, I thought there would be a book telling me what to do. But the only directive here is life itself. People come in crying, and you must act. No book will tell you how,” he said. He recalled aspiring to uplift the community when he took over from former councillor Zulu Shitongeni, but was quickly humbled by the scale of needs.
“You see people selling on the street and think they’re okay. But when you hear their stories, you realise they’re just surviving,” he stated.
Likuwa’s daily routine is unpredictable.
“You plan your day the night before. But by o7h00, the phone rings – someone’s shack caught fire, there’s flooding, and a child is sick. You don’t go to the office.
You go to the people,” he said. His office has become a drop-in centre for distress. “People knock on the door every day, saying, ‘Councillor, I’m hungry’, ‘Councillor, help me start a business’, ‘Councillor, I lost everything in a fire’. You help where you can with what you have,” he observed.
Asked about long-term solutions, Likuwa stressed the need for direct constituency funding and expanded social grants.
“If we had a dedicated constituency fund, we could move quicker and help more people. Right now, the budget doesn’t match the need,” he emphasised. Likuwa urged government and municipal leaders to fast-track service delivery and land allocations.
“People want to own land, but the policy isn’t there yet. Formalising informal areas and giving people electricity – those are steps forward,” he acknowledged.