When it rains, it pours

Although many Namibians are rejoicing at the rainfall the country has received, some people are not as happy as others about the rain.

Ndapandula Ashipala, a shebeen owner at Okuryangava in Katutura, says the rain at times causes too much havoc for her.

Ashipala says whenever it rains her business usually suffers because most customers do not come to buy goods at her outlet anymore.

“When it rains business is affected. You really lose many customers because people do not support the business as they prefer to stay at their homes,” said Ashipala.

Ashipala said the rain also posed a serious danger, causing electrical short-circuits and sometimes cutting power supply. She added that the corrugated iron they used to build their shack is not very strong and water leaks through the roof.

“Sometimes it leaks but you have to look for a way just to make it work,” she said.

The widespread rainfall is expected to continue for at least two weeks, according to the Namibian Meteorological Service (NMS).



A blessing

Even though the rain can be destructive it is nevertheless still a blessing for Ashipala.

“When it rains crops grow which enable people to sustain their families, the rain is a blessing,” she added. Many of the residents visited by the Namibian Sun in Okuryangava built their houses in riverbeds, which means their shacks are flooded when it rains heavily.

Paulus Shipena said he is accustomed to the damage caused by the rain and that there is nothing he can do. Shipena added that so far he had not been seriously affected by the rain compared to previous years.

“What can we do, there are a lot of slopes here,” he said.

Shipena said even though their houses were at risk of being flooded during the rainy season, relocating to higher ground was not an option for him.

SHONA NGAVA