Sewage submerges Grootfontein’s Single Quarters
Grootfontein's Single Quarters, home to over 300 permanent residents, is plagued by a mix of sewage, garbage, crime and dirt.
This dire situation has left the community in distress, with residents saying they have lost hope in the town’s municipality, where their pleas for help continue to fall on deaf ears.
From children to pensioners, residents have made peace with the standing sewage around the Single Quarters and the stench that accompanies it, with parents fearing for their children's health.
Hafeni Haimbonde, a 65-year-old committee member, highlighted the numerous challenges faced by the community, including the presence of illegal squatters.
“We have our hands full with illegal squatters who come to drink and make [a] home under the trees,” he said.
The influx of squatters has exacerbated the already high crime rate in the area, with tragic consequences.
Living in fear
According to Haimbonde, crime is rife and one person has been killed.
Residents live in constant fear, particularly for the safety of women and children, with alcohol abuse another challenge in the community.
“We always caution the children and women not to enter the toilets when they see strangers,” Haimbonde said.
The community’s primary concern is a malfunctioning toilet, which poses severe health risks.
“Our problem for now is the toilet. It cannot flush, and the water is running all the time. You just see the children getting sick after they play in the water. We are many that use that toilet, maybe 300, and then there are those that don’t live here; they come to sleep under the trees. They also use that toilet,” he explained.
No home
Among the squatters is Willem Kharab, who is unemployed and has no place to call home. “Where must I go? I have been asking for a house from the council, but I got nothing. I have no job to pay for a house. I only pick up cans and sell them for something to eat,” he said while rummaging through his shopping trolley.
Kharab’s plight is shared by his friend Vasco Anton, who also lives in the open and often sleeps next to a sewage stream from a toilet drain.
“That is how I sleep, next to the rotten toilet. It is broken and never works. I have children, but they also live like me on the streets,” Anton said.
The illegal squatters, mostly unemployed, frequent the Single Quarters in search of odd jobs but often end up with nothing more than a drink of 'skaalTombo', a local homemade brew.
They sleep wherever they find a place, be it adjacent to chicken coops or exposed to the elements. This has created a precarious environment where fights are common.
“It is difficult to handle the situation because the residents also don’t respect the committee and do as they please. In the past, we would give them just one warning and then call the police to kick them out. These days, it is difficult to do that and so the problem grows as everyone brings their own people and their own things without adhering to rules,” said Haimbonde.
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This dire situation has left the community in distress, with residents saying they have lost hope in the town’s municipality, where their pleas for help continue to fall on deaf ears.
From children to pensioners, residents have made peace with the standing sewage around the Single Quarters and the stench that accompanies it, with parents fearing for their children's health.
Hafeni Haimbonde, a 65-year-old committee member, highlighted the numerous challenges faced by the community, including the presence of illegal squatters.
“We have our hands full with illegal squatters who come to drink and make [a] home under the trees,” he said.
The influx of squatters has exacerbated the already high crime rate in the area, with tragic consequences.
Living in fear
According to Haimbonde, crime is rife and one person has been killed.
Residents live in constant fear, particularly for the safety of women and children, with alcohol abuse another challenge in the community.
“We always caution the children and women not to enter the toilets when they see strangers,” Haimbonde said.
The community’s primary concern is a malfunctioning toilet, which poses severe health risks.
“Our problem for now is the toilet. It cannot flush, and the water is running all the time. You just see the children getting sick after they play in the water. We are many that use that toilet, maybe 300, and then there are those that don’t live here; they come to sleep under the trees. They also use that toilet,” he explained.
No home
Among the squatters is Willem Kharab, who is unemployed and has no place to call home. “Where must I go? I have been asking for a house from the council, but I got nothing. I have no job to pay for a house. I only pick up cans and sell them for something to eat,” he said while rummaging through his shopping trolley.
Kharab’s plight is shared by his friend Vasco Anton, who also lives in the open and often sleeps next to a sewage stream from a toilet drain.
“That is how I sleep, next to the rotten toilet. It is broken and never works. I have children, but they also live like me on the streets,” Anton said.
The illegal squatters, mostly unemployed, frequent the Single Quarters in search of odd jobs but often end up with nothing more than a drink of 'skaalTombo', a local homemade brew.
They sleep wherever they find a place, be it adjacent to chicken coops or exposed to the elements. This has created a precarious environment where fights are common.
“It is difficult to handle the situation because the residents also don’t respect the committee and do as they please. In the past, we would give them just one warning and then call the police to kick them out. These days, it is difficult to do that and so the problem grows as everyone brings their own people and their own things without adhering to rules,” said Haimbonde.
[email protected]
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