Residents of Baboon City, an informal settlement on the outskirts of Windhoek, are appealing to good Samaritans to assist them with a large water tank as they continue to struggle without a reliable water supply.
The settlement, which is home to roughly 200 people and not formally recognised by the City of Windhoek, has no household taps, leaving residents dependent on water sources in neighbouring areas and at locations some distance away from their homes.
Resident Mukambo Benoni Sihako said the lack of a reliable water source has become one of the community’s biggest challenges, particularly for households with children.
“I think our biggest challenge now for us is having a water supply. We still don’t have taps here, so we are forced to walk a distance to fetch water in nearby areas such as Pionerspark and Rocky Crest,” Sihako said.
She said residents often approach people in neighbouring areas and ask them to fill their containers with water. According to Sihako, another source residents sometimes use is a large tap located near the dumping area. However, she said the distance required to collect water makes an already difficult situation even harder for families.
“We have kids going to school, and the distance of fetching water is quite long. We are asking people to help us with a tank where we can store water,” she said.
The requested tank, residents believe, would provide the community with a place to store water whenever they manage to obtain it, reducing the need to repeatedly walk long distances to neighbouring communities. From railway workers’ settlement to home for families
The settlement initially emerged as temporary accommodation for railway workers. What was intended as temporary housing, however, eventually became a place where families established homes and a community developed.
Today, roughly 200 people live in the settlement, making Baboon City more than simply a former railway workers’ camp. For residents, it has become home despite the absence of some of the basic services normally associated with established residential areas.
Last month, Baboon City residents took part in a community activation focused on menstrual hygiene and skills development.
Women and men were taught how to make reusable sanitary pads through upcycling, while vulnerable households also received food parcels, clothing and materials.
The initiative combined menstrual hygiene education with practical skills development, highlighting some of the broader challenges faced by residents in the settlement.
They are now hoping that individuals, organisations or businesses willing to assist will come forward with a large water-storage tank.
This comes after the City of Windhoek has previously clarified that it does not recognise Baboon City as an informal settlement, despite the area being home to an estimated 50 households and nearly 200 residents.
City spokesperson Lydia Amutenya said the land forms part of a property leased to China Railway Seventh Group Namibia (CRSG) for a road construction project.
According to the City, the people currently occupying the area were initially accommodated there as CRSG workers while the construction project was underway.
“The City of Windhoek wishes to clarify that the area commonly referred to as Baboon City is not recognised by the City as an informal settlement,” Amutenya said.
-mkambukwe@nepc.com.na
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