Last outpost of contract labour

People living at the country's sole remaining single-quarters complex, the pre-independence living quarters for labourers at Grootfontein in the Otjozondjupa Region, say they were happy when the Grootfontein council announced two years ago that it would provide them with decent housing.

The complex consists of about 400 single rooms, which accommodate more than 1 800 people, including children, living in unhygienic and squalid conditions.

The Grootfontein municipality announced in 2016 that it would demolish the single quarters as it was securing enough serviced land to allow the residents to build their own houses.





But a source in the municipality has told Namibian Sun that only about 100 people have been relocated since then.

The single quarters were built in the 1950s by the colonial administration as accommodation for contract labourers, who were men living there alone without their families.

More than 60 years later, men and women are sharing common ablution facilities affording them little privacy. Wastewater is flowing all over the complex and there is clearly no rubbish removal, as refuse is scattered all over the premises.

“Here we are not living in a conducive environment. Every unit consists of a kitchen and a bedroom, but due to the situation you find ten people living in one unit.

“There is no privacy as parents and children are sharing a single room. Children raised here are exposed to many things that affect their wellbeing,” said resident Eino Sheya.

Simon Frans, another resident, said many of the units are used for brewing liquor such as tombo, which is the main source of income for many of the families.

According to him, the complex houses people of different social classes, including municipal and government employees.

“We pay N$400 a month to the municipality, excluding water and electricity. This is little money and that is why people are opting to stay here despite the living conditions,” Frans said.

A pensioner, Fredrick Tsueb, said he lived in the Soweto location but regularly went to the single quarters to drink homebrew and socialise.

Contacted for comment, the municipality's acting chief executive officer, Arnold Ameb, said he could not answer any questions because he was only recently appointed to the position, despite having been a senior official in the municipality for years.

The municipality's public relations officer, Luke Salomo, also would not respond to questions that were sent to him, saying he was on leave.

“I was only appointed on 4 April. I am busy consulting and familiarising myself with the situation. I cannot comment now,” Ameb said.

According to the source in the municipality, the council has failed to prioritise the relocation process in its budget.

“There is land, but there are no funds to develop it. This is a huge investment and the municipality needs to secure enough funds. The majority of the people living in the single quarters can afford to build their own houses, all they need is the land.

“Due to the high demand for land in the town, the municipality failed to make the single-quarters relocation a priority,” the source said.

It is also reported that most of the people who have been relocated opted to rent their houses out and return to the single quarters.

“Next time the municipality is going to relocate unit by unit. Once the unit is relocated, it will then be demolished to make sure that those people are not coming back,” said the source.



ILENI NANDJATO