Filthy eyesore

Known previously as one of the cleanest towns in the country, Tsumeb has become a town where some residential areas look no better than the informal settlements.

On a recent visit to Tsumeb, Namibian Sun saw piles of litter in the town, especially at formal settlements such as Soweto and Nomtsoub.

Local people blame the municipality, claiming that the council is ignorant when it comes to addressing issues that affect the community.

Soweto location is overcrowded, litter is scattered everywhere, raw sewage flows from blocked drains, people use open spaces as toilets, communal taps are surrounded by filth and there is a terrible smell in the air.

Its residents say they are used to living in such an environment and they feel that the municipality, which is supposed to ensure that the town is clean, has given up on them.

The town centre, where visitors drive through and stop for refreshments, is clean. That has led to an allegation that the Tsumeb municipality only looks after places used by “the elite”.

One resident said Tsumeb is no longer a town they can be proud of.

“I was born and raised in Tsumeb. We were not used to seeing shacks around. The litter you see today was something we only saw on television about other towns.

“I therefore blame the municipality for losing focus in terms of ensuring that the town is always clean,” he said.

“What we also see happening is that the municipality is only focusing on the other side of the town where the people who are well off live.

The reason why I am saying so is because you won't see litter around there, you won't find sewage running in the streets which then tells you that people in the locations are not regarded as people who need to be in clean environments,” the resident charged.

Another resident claimed that the municipality is not servicing residential plots, which leads to the mushrooming of informal settlements such as Soweto.

“If you go to the council today and ask them when last they serviced a single plot it will probably be years back and that is why the formal settlements are looking like informal settlements because the population is growing and there is no place for them to build,” the resident said.

The source said if the council managed to attract investors to the town, their employees would have nowhere to live.

“If you think I am lying, just go to Kuvukiland informal settlement. There are over 10 000 people living there and those people are employed in town but they are suffering and if you ask me why, it's because the municipality has failed to carry out its mandate to provide land to the people of Tsumeb,” the source said.

Tsumeb town council spokesperson Stella Imalwa-Nangolo said the council was well aware of the situation of formal settlements such as Soweto.

Imalwa-Nangolo said although the council had prioritised the problems experienced in Soweto, the overcrowding there made it difficult to find a solution.

She explained that the number of shacks erected in open spaces was a big problem.

“Even if the council decides to collect the garbage that day, within less than an hour people dump their waste again in those areas,” she said.

When asked whether the council charges homeowners in Soweto and other residential areas for refuse removal, Imalwa-Nangolo said yes.

Municipal rubbish bins are provided upon request, she said. A bin costs N$990 and can be paid off in instalments.

Namibian Sun saw over a hundred unused municipal bins stored at a council site in town.

In response to the allegation that the council favours residents in the town centre, she said the council would ensure that the needs of the people of Tsumeb are addressed.

KENYA KAMBOWE