Okahandja pensioner lives in fear after relocation from Sweetvalley

An emotional plea by a 58-year-old woman relocated to the outskirts of Okahandja has laid bare the painful reality behind informal settlement relocations, as fears over safety, isolation and dignity continue to haunt vulnerable residents.

Speaking through tears during a recent community meeting in Okahandja, Salidi Garoes recounted the heartbreak and fear she now lives with after being moved to the Sweetvalley informal settlement, formerly known as Sonderwater.

For the older woman, the relocation has not brought hope for a better future, but instead deep loneliness, uncertainty and daily fear.

Garoes said she has been living in Sweetvalley for the past two months after spending the last 10 years in Vergenoeg.

Before that, she had lived in the Kleinsaamstaan informal settlement for more than seven years.

According to Garoes, she was forced to leave a plot near Okahandja after losing all her goats and sheep, a devastating blow for someone already struggling to survive without a stable income.

Today, she says she finds herself completely isolated. Her shack stands alone in a riverbed near the second bridge on the A1, cut off from other residents and without access to necessities like water and electricity.

“What if somebody comes and rapes me or murders me there?” she asked emotionally. “No one will hear me scream or cry.”

Painful financial cost

Garoes explained that she lives in constant fear, especially at night, knowing there are no nearby neighbours who could assist her in an emergency.

“I am a person who likes helping people. But what if one day someone comes pretending they want water, and when I open my door, their intentions are something else?” she said.

Again, she paused, overcome with emotion. “No one will hear me scream.”

Beyond safety concerns, Garoes says her health is also at risk. She is on chronic medication and struggles to reach healthcare services because the nearest clinic is located far from where she was relocated.

To make matters worse, a river flows directly behind her shack, increasing her fear and sense of vulnerability, particularly during rainy periods.

She further revealed that on the day the relocation directive was issued, she was not at home.

Only her son was present when municipal officials allegedly showed them the new plot where they would have to move.

As a result, she says she does not know exactly which official from the Okahandja Municipality authorised the relocation.

The relocation itself also came at a painful financial cost. Fighting back tears, Garoes described how she had to use the little money she had to pay for transport, relocation expenses and the rebuilding of her shack in the new area. For a pensioner with no stable income, the burden has been crushing.

At one point during the meeting, the older woman openly questioned whether poor citizens are still treated with dignity.

“I feel less than a human being,” she cried.

A committee member commented on the Facebook video of Garoes and said she does not pity Garoes, as people are making it difficult for them whenever they work on the ground during the relocation process.

“Is this how citizens are now treated by the people who are supposed to care for us and give us better living conditions?” Garoes asked.

As tears continued rolling down her cheeks, the meeting fell silent.

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