Grootfontein on high alert over suspected cholera outbreak

Grootfontein is currently gripped by a public health crisis as authorities scramble to contain a suspected cholera outbreak in its most vulnerable informal settlements.

The situation, described by residents as a "living nightmare", comes as central government has ordered an emergency clean-up campaign.

Acting town council CEO, Indileni Lungameni, told Namibian Sun in an exclusive interview last week that the town’s poor infrastructure is at the heart of the problem.

He identified a lack of potable water and proper toilets in areas such as Kap en Bou, Blikkiesdorp and the Single Quarters as the main drivers of the disease.

He said open defecation, the practice of using the bushes due to a lack of toilets, combined with pools of raw sewage, has created ideal conditions for the bacteria to spread.

Prevention protocol

To prevent loss of life and ensure the community's health, the municipality has moved to provide temporary relief.

Lungameni confirmed that the town has deployed water storage tanks to the affected areas to ensure access to safe drinking water.

Moreover, a public toilet has been upgraded, he added.

Lungameni clarified that while many parts of the town use smart prepaid water meters, the municipality is currently distributing free water to the Single Quarters, Blikkiesdorp and Kap en Bou until the situation is fully contained.

The CEO said he is cautiously optimistic that the "situation is under control" and stressed that it is monitored closely.

Clean-up directive

The local crisis has attracted national attention.

Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare recently conducted a site visit to Grootfontein, touring the "filthy" streets of Soweto, Omulunga, and Kap en Bou.

Ngurare did not mince words, describing the unhygienic conditions as a "serious public health risk" and an "eyesore" that can no longer be ignored.

In response, Ngurare has ordered a massive, multi-ministry clean-up operation.

The cleaning for cash and food-for-work programme aims to kill two birds with one stone: cleaning the environment while providing much-needed income to the unemployed youth of the Otjozondjupa region.

The prime minister set a strict deadline of 16 February for the campaign’s completion, with a final report due on his desk by 20 February.

For many, the outbreak did not come as a surprise.

While the current distribution of free water and the cleaning campaign offer a glimmer of hope, community activists argue that "temporary" solutions are not enough.

They are calling for a permanent solution to the bucket system and the broken sewerage pipes that turn the town into a swamp every time it rains.

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