Constituency councillors in the Khomas region are concerned about waste piling up in informal settlements, saying they are likely to cause Hepatitis E to flare up again if the City of Windhoek does not collect and offload the rubbish at the dumpsite soon.

The Samora Marchel and Moses //Garoeb councillors said the city confessed to not having transport to collect the rubbish.

“I have never seen a location dirty like this. Now, the smell is even reaching people’s houses. I have tried reaching out to the city to report the matter for months but the answer I get is that there is no transport,” said Moses //Garoeb councillor Aili Venonya.

She added the health of people is at stake in the area, as the condition is unhygienic.

“You just do not know what to do. In the past, it was just here at the bus stop where vendors are operating. But now, it is the whole location. The fault is not from the resident but from the City of Windhoek, who claimed not to have transport,” she said.

“I was planning to approach the office of the governor to see if we can find a solution. The situation is very bad. I just don’t know what to do. My hands are tied. Yesterday, the gentleman in my constituency who has mobile oxygen also approached me with difficulty in breathing, as the smell has reached his house. I don’t know how long the city will take to fix this problem,” she said.

Nestor Kalola of Samora Marchel constituency said the last meeting he had with the city regarding the issue was on 27 July in his constituency. “It was on that day they confessed they do not have transport. They said an excavator and a truck they used to collect rubbish are all broken down. There is nothing they can do,” he said. He said although Hepatitis E was reported under control, it is now likely to break out again due to the hazardous situation in the location. “Imagine the residents have done their best to dump the waste in the skip container but now the skip is full, and the waste is just there. And the water is also running on top of it. Just imagine the situation,” said Kalola.

Contacted for comment, city spokesperson Harold Akwenye said City of Windhoek, in particular the solid waste division (SWM), is aware of the unabated requests from residents in informal settlements regarding the cleaning of illegal dumps. 

“It should be noted that the division is currently arranging for clean-ups in the areas by this week when machines become available. Concerned residents are encouraged to visit SWM offices at Northern Industrial Area and discuss their respective requests with the manager to avoid delays.” - ljason@nepc.com.na