Fire victims feel like refugees
WALVIS BAY – Displaced residents of the latest fire at Walvis Bay’s Twaloloka say they are helpless and feel like refugees in their own country.
The residents, of which some lost all their belongings, including money and stationery during the devastating fire that gutted 27 shacks, are also being accommodated in tents similar to the situation at Otweya, where hundreds of residents of Twaloloka have been temporarily housed for the last six months.
“We were hoping for a better life and were eager to move out of our shacks into proper homes. However, our lives have gone backwards again. We have to start over,” one of the residents told New Era yesterday while trying to fit all her belongings in a small tent.
The tents were made available by the Walvis Bay municipality to at least accommodate the residents until a more suitable solution is found.
Emma Gawises, who also lost her shack, explained the settlement accommodated 111 people, of which 30 are children.
“Three women are pregnant, while several others were breastfeeding. It is really sad and hard that all our belongings have been reduced to ashes,” a disappointed Gawises said while recording the needs of the fire victims.
Father of three Popyeni Sheelepo was lost for words while searching through the debris.
“I don’t even know where my kids will sleep when they come tomorrow from holiday. They are coming on Friday, as the schools are starting on Tuesday. How am I going to send them to school. We lost everything. I only found a half-burned report card of one of my children. Everything we had was in the shack,” he said.
According to Sheelepo, they live in shacks due to circumstances.
He added the situation would have been far better if they could at least have their own piece of land.
“That is why we have been crying for land. We just want to have a little space that we can call home at least then we can build our shacks far from each other while we are working on building proper homes,” he told New Era.
The fire victims also explained their shacks were built in such a way there was no room for direct sunlight exposure.
“On top of that, the weather in Walvis Bay is such that the shacks in the middle of the settlement are dark – and one has to use candles or other forms of light in order to see. That is what might have caused the fire,” one of the female residents said.
Walvis Bay Rural councillor Florian Donatus Tegako, who assessed the situation along with the Independent Patriots for Change leader Dr Panduleni Itula and other councillors yesterday, said they are working on a long-term solution to tackle the issue of housing.
“It is no longer a Twaloloka or Otweya issue, but it affects all the landless people. Hence, we need to find a permanent solution, and it will never be in the form of a tent or food,” he said.
According to Tegako, people are in need of land and government building homes for the people is not sustainable.
“We need to work out the modalities and make land available, and it must be affordable for everyone, irrespective of whether or not you are employed. Those who cannot afford it should be assisted,” he said.