{"id":10321,"date":"2022-01-24T14:44:06","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T14:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land"},"modified":"2022-01-24T15:14:20","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T15:14:20","slug":"homeless-allocated-school-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land","title":{"rendered":"Homeless allocated \u2018school land\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. <\/strong><\/span>Emmency Nuukala<\/b><\/p>\n

For six years, a large piece of land in one of Windhoek\u2019s ever-growing informal settlements served as a beacon of hope for those who made John Mutorwa, Hadino Hishongwa, Thlabanelo and all other Goreangab Dam sections their home.<\/p>\n

The community wanted a school to be built on the plot that they have guarded and prevented others from putting up structures in. That hope all but vanished when the City of Windhoek relocated 46 families from there on 28 December 2021 to the mountainous area behind Goreangab Dam, which the locals call Hadino Hishongwa.<\/p>\n

The community on 17 December 2021 wrote a letter to the minister of education titled: \u2018Demanding for a primary school in the informal settlement, Goreangab Dam, Samora Machel constituency\u2019, signed by Sem David, one of the community leaders.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a high need for a school in the informal settlement area of Goreangab Dam. We see the increasing number of children travelling long distances. They have to walk in darkness, which is worrisome and involves the high risk of car accidents, human trafficking and rapes. Many parents are unable to pay for their kids\u2019 transport to school,\u201d read the letter.<\/p>\n

David said in 2016, the community discovered the piece of land and guarded it so that a school could be built there. They have now thus asked the ministry to include it in the budget for 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wrote a letter to the City of Windhoek, demanding for this land to be reserved for public services. Our proposal letter is still with the City, received by councillor F Kahungu and witnessed by Mr [Faniel] Maanda, and we have discussed the need with them. We have also discussed the matter with current regional councillor Nestor Kalola, who supported the initiative,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

However, the municipality\u2019s spokesperson Harold Akwenye said the relocation of the 46 families is temporary, and their research showed that a school is indeed needed in that area. \u201cOur town planners will advise on the suitable area\/land for a school,\u201d he observed.<\/p>\n

Asked if the City consulted with those already living in the area, he responded that \u201cthe piece of land in question belongs to the City of Windhoek. It is the onus of the City to place the affected families on the piece of land to make sure they are cared for. We can only inform the residents within that area that we will allocate affected people on the land. We don\u2019t have to ask permission for our own land.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nearest toilet (communal) is 100m from the site. The residents are allowed to put up their toilets using the same line. The City is planning to bring the water point closer to the people, while a high mask light is in the pipeline and will be installed soon\u201d, Akwenye continued.<\/p>\n

The 46 families who were relocated to the piece of land were land grabbers who were squatting at the soccer field at Tobias Hainyeko for four months last year. They\u2019re trying to carve out a home in the uninhabitable hills and slopes in an area the locals had other plans for.<\/p>\n

Makeshift structures fashioned out of black plastic bags, rusted corrugated iron and scrap materials, tents and a few shiny shacks dot the area where the families, part of last April\u2019s mass land grabbing, now call home.<\/p>\n

While the women shake out the blankets and other household items to dry them, drenched by the previous night\u2019s downpour, the men try to clear their newly obtained plots as the children play and scream in excitement, oblivious to their parents\u2019 cries.<\/p>\n

Dolly Tjiharuka, who lives here, narrates their story: \u201cWe were asking for land, so we took land by force. We don\u2019t have work. We didn\u2019t have anywhere to call home. The municipality and the City Police came and tore down our shacks, and confiscated all our corrugated iron sheets and tools.\u201d<\/p>\n

She further explained how they asked and pleaded about where they should go, and that\u2019s how they decided to squat at the soccer field. The group was jubilant when they were relocated to plots, which they could temporarily call their own.<\/p>\n

Still, a cloud of misery and despair blankets the new plot occupants. They feel they were taken from the frying pan into the fire. The land is unserviced. The nearest source of water is far away. There is no electricity, so the nights are dark. There isn\u2019t a school in sight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe children are just there; not attending school because there isn\u2019t money for transport. Furthermore, it is baboon territory. Baboons are a lot, running away with people\u2019s things, and a seven-year-old boy was even attacked recently in the vicinity. The boy was lifted and thrown to the ground, but he survived,\u201d said Samuel Weulu, a community activist in the Goreangab area.<\/p>\n

The newly resettled group say they still have not received their confiscated property. \u201cWe came to struggle again. As I am standing here, I have nothing. I live in a makeshift shelter made of scrap and plastic bags,\u201d said an upset Tjiharuka, adding that she can\u2019t afford new corrugated iron sheets to rebuild. Others who are employed have been able to build more liveable structures.<\/p>\n

The municipality allegedly promised the group \u201cwater, electricity and toilets, but they didn\u2019t tell us exactly when,\u201d said a community member who didn\u2019t want to be named.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe fetch water about three kilometres away. The baboons are a menace; you leave, and you find them in your shack\u201d, said Oseckar Ndaamecheme, stating that \u201cOshili nuutoileta manga i ke, kushi mpa tuuka, (With no toilets, one doesn\u2019t know where to go)\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ndaamecheme said he is separated from his family, as he came to get land. \u201cMy family isn\u2019t with me, I left them renting in another location because how will one survive here? I had to dig deep into my pocket to rent a place for them\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cSchool-going children is another issue. Mine can\u2019t live here now. School is far. How do I afford their taxi fare?\u201d he asked rhetorically. According to the group, there are 18 children among them, with the majority not having gone back to school since it reopened.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what they were thinking, throwing us back here. Maybe they will bring us houses, a school nearby and a clinic\u201d said Tjiharuka hopefully.<\/p>\n

An unemployed young mother of three, Monalisa Nunuhe, was seen sorting her belongings soaked by the rains. She explained that she and her family slept under wet blankets the previous night, and likewise bemoaned the school situation. \u201cI am confused what to do with him. Till here, you pay N$39 [for taxis]. I don\u2019t have a plan because as I am standing here, I don\u2019t have a cent to my name\u201d, she lamented. With the population growing in the area earmarked for a school, it is a great concern to them that there is still no school.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Namibia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. Emmency Nuukala For six years, a large piece of land in one of Windhoek\u2019s ever-growing informal settlements served as a beacon of hope for those who made John Mutorwa, Hadino Hishongwa, Thlabanelo and all other Goreangab Dam sections their home. The community wanted a school to be built on the plot that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":10320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,8,16],"tags":[234,236,233],"class_list":["post-10321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","category-homepage-english","category-twitter","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-namibia","tag-namibia"],"yoast_head":"\nHomeless allocated \u2018school land\u2019 - Namibia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Emmency Nuukala For six years, a large piece of land in one of Windhoek\u2019s ever-growing informal settlements serv ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Homeless allocated \u2018school land\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Emmency Nuukala For six years, a large piece of land in one of Windhoek\u2019s ever-growing informal settlements serv ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Namibia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-01-24T14:44:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-01-24T15:14:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/01\/img-61eec234aa857.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"479\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Homeless allocated \u2018school land\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-01-24T14:44:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-01-24T15:14:20+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land\"},\"wordCount\":1178,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/01\/img-61eec234aa857.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"africa press\",\"Africa Press-Namibia\",\"namibia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\",\"homepage-english\",\"twitter\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land\",\"name\":\"Homeless allocated \u2018school land\u2019 - Namibia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/01\/img-61eec234aa857.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-01-24T14:44:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-01-24T15:14:20+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"Emmency Nuukala For six years, a large piece of land in one of Windhoek\u2019s ever-growing informal settlements serv ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/01\/img-61eec234aa857.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/01\/img-61eec234aa857.jpg\",\"width\":720,\"height\":479,\"caption\":\"Homeless allocated \u2018school land\u2019\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Homeless allocated \u2018school land\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/\",\"name\":\"Namibia\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Homeless allocated \u2018school land\u2019 - Namibia","description":"Emmency Nuukala For six years, a large piece of land in one of Windhoek\u2019s ever-growing informal settlements serv ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Homeless allocated \u2018school land\u2019","og_description":"Emmency Nuukala For six years, a large piece of land in one of Windhoek\u2019s ever-growing informal settlements serv ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land","og_site_name":"Namibia","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2022-01-24T14:44:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-01-24T15:14:20+00:00","og_image":[{"width":720,"height":479,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/01\/img-61eec234aa857.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Homeless allocated \u2018school land\u2019","datePublished":"2022-01-24T14:44:06+00:00","dateModified":"2022-01-24T15:14:20+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land"},"wordCount":1178,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/01\/img-61eec234aa857.jpg","keywords":["africa press","Africa Press-Namibia","namibia"],"articleSection":["all news","community","homepage-english","twitter"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land","name":"Homeless allocated \u2018school land\u2019 - Namibia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/01\/img-61eec234aa857.jpg","datePublished":"2022-01-24T14:44:06+00:00","dateModified":"2022-01-24T15:14:20+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"Emmency Nuukala For six years, a large piece of land in one of Windhoek\u2019s ever-growing informal settlements serv ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/01\/img-61eec234aa857.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/01\/img-61eec234aa857.jpg","width":720,"height":479,"caption":"Homeless allocated \u2018school land\u2019"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/homeless-allocated-school-land#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Homeless allocated \u2018school land\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/","name":"Namibia","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10321"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10321\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}