WALVIS BAY – When thousands lost their jobs after the coronavirus broke out, many were forced to do the unthinkable… foraging for items to sell on a rubbish dump.
“When you have mouths to feed, you do the impossible to put food on the table,” said those who turned to the Walvis Bay landfill as a source of income to feed families.
A recent World Bank report stated that 1.6 million Namibians live in poverty. The ministry of labour said in 2020, some 12 238 employees were retrenched. Between 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021, another 3 244 employees were retrenched.
To help the most vulnerable Namibians through the crisis the pandemic brought, government in 2020 paid out a once-off N$750 emergency grant.
As economic decline and Covid-19 exponentially increased Namibia’s unemployment figures, those who lost their jobs had to find a way to make ends meet.
Many women dig through tons of rubble in search of anything useful they can sell. At least 100 trucks and cars visit the dumpsite every day to dump unwanted goods and waste.
Many don’t want their faces shown or have their pictures taken, despite not thinking twice before digging into tons of rubble with the smell of rotten food, old oil and dirty wet paper with a whiff of fish blowing from the harbour that fills the air.
For some, the dumping site is their permanent home as well, although they are not allowed to live there because of the unhygienic and toxic conditions.
“This is our life, and it is better than begging or relying on handouts. The smell also doesn’t bother us anymore. That is how used we are to our home,” says one of the women as she laughs off this reporter’s discomfort. She is one of the many domestic workers who lost their jobs when Covid-19 was first detected in Walvis Bay. “I had nowhere to go, and could not pay my rent. Going home was also not an option as we were on lockdown,” she explained.
She said she is in a happy space right now, as she knows what to eat and where to sleep, even if her current home is at the dumpsite.
“Here, the aim is to gather as many plastic bottles, cans, flower pots, boxes and if lucky, scrap metal that we can sell for cash,” she added.
Mother of four and former hotel worker Maria Kapembe agrees with her, saying this is not for the faint-hearted, nor should you be embarrassed of what you do. “Here, we came to make money and feed our children,” Kapembe said while packing her day’s haul of cans in bags that are destined for Rent-A-Drum.
She was employed at the Strand Hotel in Swakopmund before Covid-19, but when business became slow, she opted to look for better opportunities.
“There was no way I could stay home while I still have bills to pay and kids to feed,” said Kapembe, who still has two children in school.
Her day starts around 05h00 every morning. She will have breakfast, and walk for at least 45 minutes from her home in Tutaleni to the dumping site situated at the outskirts of town.
Here, they compete in harmony with their male counterparts to find their precious trash.
“I sell my plastic bottles, cans and boxes to Rent-A-Drum, and they would pay my money directly into my account. That money I save,” she noted.
Kapembe said she only uses the money she makes from selling scrap metal for her day-to-day needs, and does not make less than N$2 000 in a poor month.
“Just last week, I spend N$700 on food for my kids, and send some money home for my family in Kalkrand”, she added.
Overall, Kapembe is happy that she is alive and healthy while finding her joy in the rubble.
Former domestic worker Sweet-Theresia April leads me to the tiny home at the dumpsite, where she has been living since 2016. She lost her job when her foreign employers returned to their country.
“Life is hard, but here we are a family. I never in my life thought that this would be where I found myself,” she observed. April can not scavenge through the rubble due to a back problem, but waits until her husband brings clothes and shoes that are still in good condition to sell.
“I wash what he brings, and then go to Kuisebmond at least twice a week to sell to supplement what we make from the scrap metal, bottles and cans,” she clarified while fiddling with a phone charger she pieced together with her phone that she shares with several other women.
She said they found themselves living on the dumpsite after her husband lost his job. Their children live with relatives in Kuisebmond, where they attend school. “We help with food as well as the basic needs of our children, but my wish is that we would be able to save enough to buy a plot. I would really love to live together with them as a family,” she hoped.
Pregnant and scavenging
Soft-spoken Vemunee Kandetu, originally from Gobabis, is the most vulnerable of them all. She also lives with her partner at the dumpsite, and is likewise a former domestic worker.
She lived in Kuisebmond with family.
However, after losing her job, contributing to the daily demands such as chipping in for electricity and water became impossible.
As a result, she ended up at the dumpsite.
“Going back to Gobabis was not an option. The situation would have been worse than here. Besides, I have children to take care of. They are currently being cared for by my mother,” said Kandetu, who is almost five months pregnant with her third child.
The pregnancy is slowing her down as the energy levels are not what they used to be, Kandetu said. But she forces herself to wake up every day and do the little she can to help her partner, who also spends his entire day at the landfill. “I won’t be able to do anything as the pregnancy progresses. It’s up to you if you want to sleep, or get up and go get your hands dirty as food just doesn't appear magically,” she continued.
Kandetu, however, said they are very cautious when it comes to food dumped at the landfill, although they sometimes get food and vegetables which are still edible. “Sometimes, we are lucky if we find food that is still in good condition. Then you come back, clean it thoroughly and that’s your dinner,” she stated.
Asked how she deals with pregnancy cravings, Kandetu said that is not even a concern right now. “Making money to feed my family and myself is my main goal”. According to her, what they are doing is not for weaklings, but everyone at the dumping site is there to survive. “Here, we are a family. We look out for each other. There is no crime, no rape or assault. We really look after each other”, she emphasised.
Her only worry is how she would feed and take care of herself, and where she would go with her baby, seeing that the dumpsite is not a conducive environment for babies.
“We are already putting our lives at risk and cannot expose anyone else, let alone a newborn baby. I only wish that we had shelters for vulnerable women at Walvis Bay. It would have been much easier for me,” she added. World statistics indicate that around 15 million people live and work as garbage dump communities worldwide since 2017. The figure is estimated to continue to rise due to the impact of Covid-19 on already vulnerable communities.