42 shack fires, 4 deaths in Windhoek so far this year

Windhoek's informal settlements witnessed a steep rise in shack fires this year, with 42 incidents and four confirmed deaths recorded between January and June.The fires have become a recurring tragedy, ravaging homes and lives across multiple constituencies, with Tobias Hainyeko, Moses Garoeb and Samora Machel topping the list of affected areas.Statistics obtained from the Windhoek municipality indicate that January recorded the highest number of shack fires, with 14 reported incidents.Between February and March, a total of 10 fires were reported to authorities, with the last three months experiencing 18 fires, resulting in four deaths.The most recent incident, which occurred in mid-June, tragically claimed the life of 29-year-old Johannes Nathanael.Community members of the Havana informal settlement said that they struggled to rescue Nathanael as the fire spread rapidly. In another blaze in April, two minor children, aged four and six, lost their lives when their home in the One Nation informal settlement caught fire. Double tragedy In May, a life was lost in the Ombili location on Omuvapu Street, the same street where two other deaths had occurred earlier in April, making it one of the deadliest zones.Residents continue to suffer repeated losses.On 19 June, a family in Havana lost their home to a fire for the second time.On 1 March, four families were left homeless following a fire incident in Windhoek.Moses Garoeb constituency councillor Stefanus Ndengu told Namibian Sun structural issues and delayed service delivery are contributing factors to shack fires. "The problem is that demarcation is taking too long," Ndengu said. "The fire brigade also takes long to reach the informal settlements to [put] out the fire. We did write a letter to the fire brigade for a mobile fire station in the informal settlement, as that might help."

42 shack fires, 4 deaths in Windhoek so far this year

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-27

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42 shack fires, 4 deaths in Windhoek so far this year

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-27

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