Africa-Press – Namibia. THE lack of sufficient street lights is a major concern for residents of Rehoboth, who often fear for their safety at night. Residents say many parts of the town are in darkness at night and have become a hotspot for criminal activity.
“People are being raped, then they don’t know who raped them but if there were lights at least we would be able to see the person,” said Charles Kooper, a resident of Block C.
He said the community expects to receive such services because they are paying for it. He added that the crime rate at Rehoboth is extremely high, making it unsafe to walk in the dark.
“It’s a risk to let children walk to school very early in the morning. Due to financial issues, you cannot afford to pay for your child’s transport.” Benhoff Makina, a community activist residing in Block E, agreed that the lack of street lights at Rehoboth is a major concern.
“The darkness of the town is used by the criminals to attack women and men as well. When you go to the hospital over the weekend, you see how people are stabbed and some raped,” he said.
“Women who wake up early in the morning for work can’t use their shortcuts anymore because it’s dangerous. They have to use the main road that is much safer,” he said.
Sophia Swartz, who lives in a dark street in Block F, said she lives in fear over weekends due to quarrels and violence in the area. She said light usually calms the situation but without lights, it’s like a war.
“When the former mayor Rudi [van Wyk] was here, he did many things for us. Now you just hear that the council will work on things but you don’t see them working.”
Members of the Rehoboth Town Council were unavailable for comment, however, councillor Jackson Khariseb confirmed the issue at a Rehoboth Town Council meeting dated 24 February.
“If you go to Block E at night, it’s completely dark. It’s really a challenge. It’s a crime-infested suburb and nowadays many robberies take place in that area.
“There are two high mast lights but none of them have light,” said Khariseb.
“Not only Block E, I just mentioned it because it’s completely dark, it looks like a village when you go out at night.” During the meeting, Rehoboth mayor Enrico Junius also noted that Block F has been experiencing the same issue.
“It is not only Block E but Block F also has only one set of lights. It is completely dark. Old ladies phone me every day.
“In front of Reho Cor Sentrum in the middle of town, there are two clubs that people walk from at night, they are being raped,” he stressed. Council technical manager Rudolf Muhembo reported that council is currently experiencing some challenges.
“In our operational plan that the CEO presented yesterday, we are putting up a plan to address some of the areas but the main issue is resources. It costs a lot of money, which we don’t have. What we’ve done is pay from our operational fees,” he said during the meeting.
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