Groot Aub activist calls for settlement autonomy over City of Windhoek promises Groot Aub activist calls for settlement autonomy over City of Windhoek promises NBC Online Sat, 08/23/2025 - 19:27

#GrootAub #Windhoek #Autonomy #CommunityActivism #Development

Groot Aub: A Forgotten People at a Forgotten Place Dear madam president, we, the residents of Groot Aub, write to you not as enemies of the state, but as citizens and human beings who have run out of patience. We write to demand what we are constitutionally entitled to: dignity, equality, and access to basic services. All is not well at Groot Aub. In truth, the situation on the ground is dire – especially the worsening water crisis. Communities such as Oshakati Central have endured three months without reliable water supply. The promised water tanks – intended as a temporary solution – have yet to arrive. This is not just neglect; it is a violation of our human rights. The City of Windhoek has declared vast areas of Groot Aub ‘unmapped’ or ‘illegal’ – including Beverly Hills and surrounding areas – effectively cutting them off from access to water, electricity, and other essential services. Over 8 000 residents are trapped in bureaucratic limbo. These citizens are being told, in no uncertain terms, that they do not count. We ask: Are we not Namibians? Are we less human because we are poor and unemployed? Madam president, we urgently request the intervention of your office, as well as that of the prime minister and the minister of urban and rural development. We do not have access to basic services. We are not mapped. Our community lacks development. We see funds being allocated to the city’s budget year after year, but these funds never translate into real development. Instead, administrative offices are built, while our people walk kilometres to fill a 25-litre container with water, live in zinc houses, and suffer in darkness due to a lack of electricity. If we cannot be served by the municipality, let Groot Aub be declared a settlement under the Khomas Regional Council again – the only authority that has ever made a genuine effort to improve our lives. We reject the colonial legacy of regulations and urban planning that continue to suffocate our people. We demand that: * The prime minister personally visits Groot Aub to witness the unacceptable conditions and engage with our community. * The minister of urban and rural development tasks the current councillors to complete the formalisation process of Groot Aub before November 2025. * Political representation for Groot Aub must include residents who live, sleep, and suffer here – not outsiders detached from our daily struggles. * A halt to the construction of administrative offices at Groot Aub until the map is finalised and services like water and electricity are delivered. * An urgent update of the spatial data (mapping) of all locations at Groot Aub to enable service provision. Elections will soon be upon us, and we are watching closely. Empty promises will no longer sway the people of Groot Aub. If no party is willing to take action, we will remember that at the ballot box. It is time our voices are heard. If development cannot come from the city, then let us be a settlement – with our dignity restored and our rights respected. We will not wait another five years for another committee to ‘familiarise’ itself with our suffering. The fire of development has died at Groot Aub – and not because of its people. E Gaingob The post Groot Aub: A Forgotten People at a Forgotten Place appeared first on The Namibian.

#GrootAub #WaterCrisis #HumanRights #Equality #Dignity

Groot Aub to get municipality office in six months City of Windhoek councillor Ivan Skrywer and chairperson of the council advisory formalisation of Informal settlements and integration of Groot Aub committee, today announced that City of Windhoek is in an advanced stage in building a municipal office in Groot Aub. “In line with a standing council resolution on the management of Groot Aub, the City of Windhoek is in advanced stage of building a municipal office in Groot Aubwithin the next four to six months,” he told The Namibian. He said this is to bring services closer to the people. The office will be built in two phases. The first phase entails construction of a fully functional municipal office using alternative building materials. The second phase entails a multi-year construction project for the permanent office. Skrywer said the office will serve Groot Aub and the surrounding areas and is part of the efforts to ensure the full and seamless integration of Groot Aub into the operations of the City of Windhoek as one of its constituent parts. The post Groot Aub to get municipality office in six months appeared first on The Namibian.

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Groot Aub man survives river ordeal, community decries neglect Groot Aub resident Gerson Gariseb’s life was almost cut short when he was swept away by a river while standing outside his home. The incident occurred two weeks ago, following the collapse of the bridge between Rehoboth and Windhoek. Despite narrowly escaping death and being transported to Windhoek for medical attention, rumours quickly spread within the small community that Gariseb (67) succumbed to secondary drowning, though these were later reported to be false. The Groot Aub community, located over 40 kilometres south-east of Windhoek, was rocked by the incident. A BRUSH WITH DEATH Gariseb, who worked as a goat herder at a nearby plot in the area, told The Namibian he thought he was going to die when he was swept away after the riverbank collapsed underneath him. “I stepped outside to see the river flowing, and suddenly, the ground beneath me gave way. I fell in,” he says. The Uris river cuts through the settlement, just a stone’s throw from his home, washing away the river bank after the storm hit the area. Sergeant Calvin Garoeb witnessed Gariseb’s fall into the river and says he acted quickly to save him. “I saw him fall into the river while I was off duty. I knew I had to act fast,” Garoeb says. He rushed into the water to Gariseb’s aid, pulling him out before the current could wash him away. Gariseb was then taken to the Groot Aub clinic before being transferred to Katutura Hospital, where he was hospitalised for a week. The elderly man recalls how his life flashed before his eyes as he slipped into the river and describes the ordeal as a nightmare come to life. “I thought that was it, you know. I thought that I was going to die that day. I couldn’t scream for help, water was just filling my lungs and there was nothing to hold onto in the water,” he says. Although he has since recovered, Gariseb still experiences chest pains from swallowing large amounts of water. However, his biggest regret is losing a N$300 that was in his pocket during the incident. “That’s what hurts me the most, my money. I think it was washed away when I fell in,” he says. Gariseb has since lost his job as a farm worker after he was hospitalised. He adds that he has been given a second chance at life, adding that he found the news of his death amusing. LACK OF DEVELOPMENT Former Windhoek rural constituency councillor Penina Ita says Groot Aub’s lack of proper roads, streetlights, and infrastructure is hindering its development. “The settlement is on the verge of collapse, there is limited electricity, and stalled development. They cut off water supplies to the majority of people, claiming illegal connections, which is simply not true,” she says. Ita also criticises the government’s unfulfilled promise of expanding the Windhoek bus service to the area and alleviating the cost of transport for residents who commute between Windhoek and Groot Aub. “They sold residents the dream of improved transport services, but nothing has happened,” she says. “Most of these connections were set up through the Khomas Regional Council. The authorities are supposed to serve the people, not deprive them of basic services.” She also adds that local authorities have failed to address unemployment in the settlement. “The community is willing to participate in their own development, but they need a facilitator,” she says. Ita highlights the deteriorating state of streetlights at Groot Aub, stating that most are no longer functional, and urges the local authority to facilitate the process to aid the community in repairing the streetlights themselves. “We don’t need bureaucracy slowing things down. If procurement is really working for the people, then why are we still in the dark?” she asks. RUMOuRS OF DEATH The false rumours surrounding Gariseb’s death even reached the local clinic. Nurse Emma Gomachas says staff were shocked when they heard he had died. “When he left here, he was fine, he even walked out on his own,” she says. Groot Aub police inspector Ari Coetzee says authorities are still looking into reports of a local man’s death at Katutura Hospital. “We are aware of a Groot Aub resident who was transported to Windhoek. However, the Groot Aub police still need to do an inquiry into on whether he has indeed passed away,” she says. The post Groot Aub man survives river ordeal, community decries neglect appeared first on The Namibian.

#GrootAub #Namibia #CommunitySupport #RiverSafety #SurvivorStory

Groot Aub man survives river ordeal, community decries neglect Groot Aub resident Gerson Gariseb’s life was almost cut short when he was swept away by a river while standing outside his home. The incident occurred two weeks ago, following the collapse of the bridge between Rehoboth and Windhoek. Despite narrowly escaping death and being transported to Windhoek for medical attention, rumours quickly spread within the small community that Gariseb (67) succumbed to secondary drowning, though these were later reported to be false. The Groot Aub community, located over 40 kilometres south-east of Windhoek, was rocked by the incident. A BRUSH WITH DEATH Gariseb, who worked as a goat herder at a nearby plot in the area, told The Namibian he thought he was going to die when he was swept away after the riverbank collapsed underneath him. “I stepped outside to see the river flowing, and suddenly, the ground beneath me gave way. I fell in,” he says. The Uris river cuts through the settlement, just a stone’s throw from his home, washing away the river bank after the storm hit the area. Sergeant Calvin Garoeb witnessed Gariseb’s fall into the river and says he acted quickly to save him. “I saw him fall into the river while I was off duty. I knew I had to act fast,” Garoeb says. He rushed into the water to Gariseb’s aid, pulling him out before the current could wash him away. Gariseb was then taken to the Groot Aub clinic before being transferred to Katutura Hospital, where he was hospitalised for a week. The elderly man recalls how his life flashed before his eyes as he slipped into the river and describes the ordeal as a nightmare come to life. “I thought that was it, you know. I thought that I was going to die that day. I couldn’t scream for help, water was just filling my lungs and there was nothing to hold onto in the water,” he says. Although he has since recovered, Gariseb still experiences chest pains from swallowing large amounts of water. However, his biggest regret is losing a N$300 that was in his pocket during the incident. “That’s what hurts me the most, my money. I think it was washed away when I fell in,” he says. Gariseb has since lost his job as a farm worker after he was hospitalised. He adds that he has been given a second chance at life, adding that he found the news of his death amusing. LACK OF DEVELOPMENT Former Windhoek rural constituency councillor Penina Ita says Groot Aub’s lack of proper roads, streetlights, and infrastructure is hindering its development. “The settlement is on the verge of collapse, there is limited electricity, and stalled development. They cut off water supplies to the majority of people, claiming illegal connections, which is simply not true,” she says. Ita also criticises the government’s unfulfilled promise of expanding the Windhoek bus service to the area and alleviating the cost of transport for residents who commute between Windhoek and Groot Aub. “They sold residents the dream of improved transport services, but nothing has happened,” she says. “Most of these connections were set up through the Khomas Regional Council. The authorities are supposed to serve the people, not deprive them of basic services.” She also adds that local authorities have failed to address unemployment in the settlement. “The community is willing to participate in their own development, but they need a facilitator,” she says. Ita highlights the deteriorating state of streetlights at Groot Aub, stating that most are no longer functional, and urges the local authority to facilitate the process to aid the community in repairing the streetlights themselves. “We don’t need bureaucracy slowing things down. If procurement is really working for the people, then why are we still in the dark?” she asks. RUMOuRS OF DEATH The false rumours surrounding Gariseb’s death even reached the local clinic. Nurse Emma Gomachas says staff were shocked when they heard he had died. “When he left here, he was fine, he even walked out on his own,” she says. Groot Aub police inspector Ari Coetzee says authorities are still looking into reports of a local man’s death at Katutura Hospital. “We are aware of a Groot Aub resident who was transported to Windhoek. However, the Groot Aub police still need to do an inquiry into on whether he has indeed passed away,” she says. The post Groot Aub man survives river ordeal, community decries neglect appeared first on The Namibian.

#GrootAub #Namibia #CommunitySupport #RiverSafety #SurvivorStory