Tsumkwe’s neglected hostel

While Tsumkwe Secondary School is in the process of expanding its hostel, construction has been halted since 2021 when funding dried up.This according to principal Christof Ngavetene, who said the construction is being done by an organisation called Bridging the Gap Namibia/USA.Funding was halted because donors had to verify how the money was spent, the organisation’s Namibian representative Lorens Hauseb explained.“We are just a group of friends coming together to assist the community, but the costs are very high now. Last year, the quotation was N$14 000, but when I went there yesterday, it was already at N$99 000. Our plan is to get it done by the end of April, but the group of doctors in America who are assisting us were having a problem with the administration of the money. They are trying to find out what the money was spent on. When the accountant is done in America, then we will continue,” he said. Two learners per mattressMeanwhile, the hostel is in dire straits, with 20 learners sleeping in one room - two assigned to one mattress - while the ablution facilities are completely dilapidated.“There are currently a few buildings built behind the existing hostel by a donor, but they have been delayed because of funding. They informed us yesterday they will come to finish it. The toilet seats we have are very few for the learners in the hostels. It is maybe three seats per 100 learners. What you have seen are the broken items, but it has now been cleaned up,” Ngavetene said. During a visit to the school, the principal told Namibian Sun they have had trouble with water supply, but this has since been resolved by the constituency office. According to some of the learners, when they had to fetch water at a communal tap recently, one of the girls was almost raped, with the boys coming to her rescue.Then there is the issue of safety in the hostel, which - according to the learners - is non-existent. They said as some of the doors have rusted, it makes it easy for culprits to enter the girls’ dormitories, or to simply enter the hostel and steal their belongings. “You will lock up your stuff and go pee and when you return, it would be broken and everything would be gone. We do not feel safe in the hostel at all,” a learner told Namibian Sun.jemima@namibiansun.com

Tsumkwe’s neglected hostel

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Namibian Sun 2026-08-18

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Tsumkwe’s neglected hostel

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Namibian Sun 2026-08-18

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