• Social Issues

Havana: 'We are forgotten, in the dark'

• 1 Day Ago - 2025-04-04 09:30:00

Since he was in a car accident in December last year, the severe pain in his right leg has made it difficult for him to earn an income through his passion for painting.
According to 58-year-old Mathias Ndjundo, this is due to the poor care he received.
Ndjundo, who moved to Windhoek from Walvis Bay six years ago, says he has been experiencing severe pain since the accident. He was involved in a head-on collision with a truck along with the other passengers.
“Since they put my leg in a cast, the doctor at Katutura State Hospital who examined me never took X-rays of my leg to determine why the pain was so bad. When they later removed the cast, I struggled to stand and use my right leg to walk properly,” says Ndundo.
When X-rays were finally taken, the doctor discovered that his leg was actually broken.
“I have since asked him for a disability letter because it is clear that I cannot help myself with all the pain. He finally called me and promised that he would write a letter, but to date I have not received anything.”
Ndjundo also lashed out at the current government, saying residents in his constituency, Samora Machel, have been neglected for years even though the majority are Swapo supporters. “The majority of the people here voted for the current and previous administrators, but we are still without water. All we hear is the government talking about schools, but what are schools without water?
“The majority of Swapo supporters are poverty-stricken and have no jobs, no access to water and no decent toilet facilities.
“They don’t even make the time to go and see the people at the grassroots level who helped put them in power.
“We are left in the dark here, literally, with boys running around at night grabbing people’s phones,” says Ndjundo.
He also expressed concern over the delay in the construction of the Windhoek District Hospital at a cost of N$2.9 billion in the Havana informal settlement which was officially launched last May by the former health minister Kalumbi Shangula, and the then vice president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
“It’s been more than ten months and there has still been no progress on site. We visit it regularly, waiting for any kind of progress, but there is nothing.
“Residents still have to go all the way to Katutura Health Centre for help, which is not convenient.”
Groundbreaking ceremony
Ndjundo’s sentiment was echoed by another resident who wished to remain anonymous and said he attended the groundbreaking ceremony himself.
“We were all so excited to see the groundbreaking ceremony of the new district hospital. Months later, no progress has been made. It’s as if everyone just went quiet after the election. It honestly feels like a political campaign to get us to vote for the ruling party,” he said.
Shangula denied at the ceremony last year that the planned construction of the district hospital was a campaign stunt by the Swapo government. He denied allegations that the hospital, which is expected to be completed in 2027, was a campaign by Swapo to garner votes in the run-up to last November’s elections.
Shangula then said that the construction of the hospital was already one of his priorities when he was appointed as the health minister in 2018.
However, those plans were cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
“The construction of this hospital could have started much earlier if it were not for Covid-19. So let us understand clearly – this is not an election stunt,” he said.
In 2016, a local daily reported that the construction plans had been delayed for almost 10 years, due to challenges with the allocation of land.
The ministry was then still in discussions with the City of Windhoek on issues related to the provision of bulk services at the identified land in Havana. According to Shangula, the cabinet has not approved the construction of the hospital until May 2023.
President
Nandi-Ndaitwah said during the groundbreaking ceremony that the construction of the hospital would create hundreds of jobs.
According to her, the contractors involved had been instructed to prioritise it for residents of Havana.
“It will also be cheaper for contractors because the people already live here,” Nandi-Ndaitwah told another daily.
Another resident of the area highlighted the dangers posed by the ongoing rainfall.
His shack, which is anchored by bricks and plastic to prevent it from blowing away or the roof from lifting, has surprisingly never flooded despite the fact that he lives in a riverbed.
“It is already April and the rain has not stopped yet,” he said.
He pleaded with the government to intervene, as many residents experience severe losses during the rainy season.
“People’s beds were soaked, food was destroyed and important documentation like identification was missing. They only come here when they are campaigning for elections. After that it’s as if we don’t exist,” he said.