Residents up in arms over Havana 'rot'
Residents of the Havana informal settlement in Windhoek have accused the municipality (CoW) of failing to fully provide the settlement with water, power and sewage systems since 2016.The residents claim that the municipality instead renamed the unserviced portion of land to Havana Proper Extension 3 and promised to service it, which has not happened.
John Iileka, the secretary of the residents committee, says residents met with the CoW on 6 December last year. During the meeting, the manager for settlements Faniel Maanda assured the chief executive Moses Matyayi that "the municipality will start servicing the land in January".
However, despite several follow-up letters from the residents, there was no communication in January.
"When we finally received a response on 6 May that the layout of subdivided erven was completed and under consideration, Maanda did not announce the final decision that was planned for 27 June," Iileka said. The residents were told that Maanda would present the proposal to the council for final approval, with the decision to be made on 27 June.
Residents are frustrated that their neighbours have services such as water, electricity and flush toilets, while they are forced to use pit latrines that cannot flush.
Stench
According to one resident, the pit latrines smell terrible, fill up and need to be emptied. Residents are forced to empty it themselves because the City of Windhoek's solid waste management workers rarely visit the settlement.
"We only see them once a year," she said.
Another resident, a 63-year-old pensioner, said it appears as if there is corruption with the allocation of erven. “I have seen people being relocated from their homes for the land to be serviced, only for the land to be given to someone else when it is finished.”
Iileka believes that the money that was initially intended to service the area has been embezzled. "It appears that the money that was used to service the entire settlement, including the area that the municipality now calls Havana Proper Extension 3, has disappeared," he claimed.
"The municipality is trying to cover it up and now refers to it as an extended settlement. It was never extended; we have always been just one. Like the Fishrot scandal, this is Havana 'rot'."
Municipal spokesperson Lydia Amutenya responded, “When we formalise areas, we do so in phases. However, to prevent us from generalising the issue, send an email so that I can consult with officers on Monday. Only then will I be able to give a comprehensive answer."