Windhoek
Aggrieved students at the University of Namibia (Unam) campus in Katima Mulilo have threatened to stage a demonstration this week following the Katima Mulilo Town Council’s failure to relocate a dumpsite situated in close proximity to the university grounds, which they say “poses a health hazard.”
The students, who had previously demonstrated over the dumpsite, said this time around they would team up with their colleagues from Katima Mulilo Vocational Training Centre (VTC) to march to the town council, which they say has pointedly refused to act on their demands.
Student Representative Council (SRC) vice-president, Hotsticks Ndozi yesterday confirmed their plan to demonstrate, saying they are tired, because several meetings took place between the students and Katima Mulilo Town Council, but to no avail.
Ndozi said they would meet with VTC students today to decide on the exact date this week when they would stage their demonstration.
SRC secretary at Katima Mulilo VTC, Kachana Matomola confirmed that their principal has given them the go-ahead to join Unam students in the demonstration. Students are distressed, he said, noting that the situation gets worse when waste management officials burn waste, as the hazardous smoke clouds the campus.
The SRCs charged they had raised the issue of the need to relocate the dumpsite last year, but to date the town council has not yet responded.
A resolution was passed during last year’s meeting with the Mayor of Katima Mulilo, Charles Matengu, on relocating the dumpsite far from people, but nothing has come of it, much to the irritation of the students.
“The situation is still continuing. The town council is still burning waste, which poses a health hazard. That is why we’ve decided to demonstrate again in collaboration with the VTC students, so they [Council members] can see that we are serious about our health and learning environment,” Ndozi noted.
The students said they had arranged a meeting with Governor Lawrence Sampofu and Mayor Charles Matengu earlier this year regarding the dumpsite.
At the time, they say an agreement was reached that it would soon be relocated. To their surprise, they found dark clouds of smoke are still emanating from the dumpsite.
“Some of our staff members are living here at the vocational centre. From Thursday morning until Friday they are just under smoke. People are coughing and we can’t even open the windows,” lamented Matomola.
Some students say they are distracted by the smoke and haze and cannot study well under the circumstances and that the situation is affecting them academically and psychologically.
Matengu said the town council “is aware of the crisis and is in the process of developing a new dumpsite far from residents.” He said they have already identified a new site, but the problem is a lack of funds to develop it.
He is hopeful though that the project, which he says will cost millions, would be completed during this financial year. He also admitted that the current dumpsite is not fenced off, hence people still go there to scavenge for food and other discarded items.