2006-01-24Staff Report 2 By Sbu Mjikeliso Windhoek The city of Windhoek has told Dolam residents squatting at the Sam Nujoma Stadium to move back to their houses, no less than 15 days into the emergency situation. The city council says those affected should move back to their damaged homes to lead normal lives. The city has offered to disinfect the damaged houses but the residents have refused the offer, saying that the municipality should provide the final report of an independent consultant on the cause of the flood, accompanied by the insurance assessor's report to determine the value of the damaged household contents of the 14 houses and possibly to provide some sort of compensation. However, a statement released by the municipality reveals that the city council has no contractual or delictual liability towards the 14 affected households, as they are all in private ownership. The city council says they are offering humanitarian support and aid nonetheless. The problem does not end there, however. The community also demands that the City of Windhoek should consider the possibility of raising the general house foundation of the Dolam area to prevent further floods as a long-term solution. The municipality dismissed the suggestion as premature at this stage. Any further long-term measures will therefore be guided by the report from the independent engineer. Matters are yet to be drawn to a conclusion, while the city council has acknowledged that the people can no longer live in the stadium because the conditions there pose a danger to the health of the community due to its mechanical ventilation system. 2006-01-24Staff Report 2
