By Mbatjiua Ngavirue WINDHOEK Long-suffering residents of Brahms and Wagner Streets in Windhoek West say they are at their wits’ end and can no longer take the endless raucous parties held at the Polytechnic of Namibia’s Hotel & Tourism School. They say they are worn out, weary and haggard from lack of sleep because of the noisy functions that take place at the premises on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights every week. The horrors they suffer include raucous dance music, loud speeches from the P.A. system, the crash of pots and pans from the kitchens, slamming of car doors and drunken antics in the car park. Sometimes when ministers give speeches during functions, women suddenly start ululating loudly, making residents almost jump out of their skins while lying in bed trying to get some sleep. On Sundays there are church services, both morning and evening, that are only slightly less noisy than the parties. Residents dispute claims by Polytechnic officials that the functions never continue until later than midnight. The reality, they say, is that sometimes the parties continue until three or four in the morning. Homeowners in the area have lodged numerous complaints with the Windhoek City Police. They also attempted on several occasions to take the matter up with the Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr Tjama Tjivikua, and other Polytechnic officials. Their efforts at solving what they describe as the “noise pollution” problem from the Hotel & Tourism School, have so far proved fruitless. People have many times called the City Police to deal with the disturbances of the peace at the polytechnic. According to one resident, function organizers always promise the police to reduce the noise level but then, as soon as the police leave, the noise starts again. Superintendent Johann Kellerman of the City Police has tried on several occasions to arrange meetings between residents and the management of the Polytechnic – all to no avail. While grateful for the efforts made by the City Police, they say the police appear to be toothless in the face of a powerful institution such as the Polytechnic, which appears to be able to flout the law with complete impunity. They are particularly disappointed that Rector Dr Tjivikua seems to be unsympathetic to their plight. Tjivikua is alleged to be dodging the residents, having agreed to meet with them on several occasions but then always cancels at the last minute because of supposedly more pressing engagements. The homeowners feel that the problem could be easily resolved through simple noise abatement measures such as, among other things, building a high wall around the Hotel & Tourism School property. However, the problem, they feel, will only be addressed once the Polytechnic starts to take their pleas seriously instead of always giving them the brush-off, or ignoring them. Brahms Street resident, Lina Ilse, says the noise problem at the Hotel & Tourism School premises started only a few months after the school opened in October 2003. Before the Polytechnic built the school, they invited residents to a consultative meeting to brief them on their plans. Ilse says she was initially very impressed with Tjivikua and his aim of creating a school to supply the Namibian tourism industry with well-trained chefs, waiters, waitresses and cleaning personnel. Speaking at the meeting, Tjivikua gave them the assurance that the premises would only be used for educational activities, and that no activities would take place after 22h00. She and other residents, however, say the original purpose of the Hotel School suddenly changed from a purely educational role to that of a business concern. Motivated by a desire for financial gain, the Hotel School started hiring out its facilities and services for business functions, weddings and birthday parties. Local residents agree with the complaint of some Polytechnic students that the institution seems to have become a business, more concerned with money-making schemes than education. Ilse feels Tjivikua has not taken the complaints of residents seriously, saying that if he did he would have made an effort to meet with them. Residents say that Polytechnic officials, Erling Kavita and Helmi Hidulwa, failed to arrive for a meeting with them, even though they had agreed to attend. Residents came together to take action in February 2006 after deciding they could no longer take the constant noise from the Hotel School. At least a dozen residents signed a petition that was handed over to the Polytechnic, while others have written to the institution on an individual basis. Ilse says she herself is nearly at the end of her tether, with her frustration almost at the point where she feels she might go mad. Her bedroom window is just across the street from the Hotel School car park. The crunching sound of the gravel never ceases as cars come and go, while their headlights shine directly into her bedroom. There are also the screams of children left to play outside while their parents are enjoying the festivities inside. While some revellers are dancing inside the banqueting hall, others decide to hold their own parties in their vehicles with music blaring from their car sound systems. She has every word of every speech ever made at the Hotel School etched on her brain because the P.A. system is so loud there is no way for her to avoid listening to the speeches. She cannot watch TV in her own home when there is a function because the noise from across the street drowns out the television. Even when functions eventually end, there is the banging of pots, pans and crockery when the cleaning up starts. As if that is not enough, there is the constant loud humming from the huge compressors of the air-conditioners and freezers. Tjivikua could only be reached while rushing between meetings, hurriedly offering the comment that he could not recall receiving any complaints from residents.