Patience Makwele
Residents of Baboon City, an informal settlement situated between Rocky Crest and Pioneers Park in Windhoek, say they have been forgotten by political leaders after elections, accusing the government of failing to address their most basic needs despite years of appeals for assistance.
Their frustrations come as the City of Windhoek maintains that Baboon City is not a recognised informal settlement and has no plans to provide municipal services or formalise the area.
Speaking to the Windhoek Observer, several residents including community representative Mukambo Benonia Sihako said access to clean water remains the settlement’s biggest challenge, forcing some families to travel long distances or rely on expensive deliveries from neighbouring communities.
“Politicians only come here when they need votes. After elections, no one comes back to ask how we are surviving,” said a resident.
Residents accuse political leaders of making repeated promises to improve their living conditions but say little has changed despite years of appeals for access to basic services.
Sihako claimed that several political leaders had visited the settlement over the years, including President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah before assuming office, when residents were given an opportunity to explain the challenges they face.
“The President was here 2 years ago before she became president. We took them to where we collect our water and explained our struggles. She told us she would not make promises at the time and gave us blankets. Since then we have not seen anyone come back,” she said.
According to Sihako, a group of residents later travelled to State House in an effort to meet the President and raise their concerns directly.
“We arrived in the morning and waited until the afternoon. We were told to write a letter requesting an appointment, which we did but we have never received a response,” she said.
Sihako said the settlement has become a symbol of neglect despite being located only a few kilometres from Windhoek’s city centre.
“It hurts because we are also citizens of this country. We vote like everyone else but we feel forgotten once elections are over,” she said.
Efforts to obtain comment from the State House regarding the residents’ claims were unsuccessful by the time of publication.
Baboon City was established in 2018 after workers employed on a road construction project by the China Railway Seventh Group Namibia (CRSG) remained on the site following the project. While residents acknowledge that the settlement originated as temporary accommodation linked to the construction project, they say it has since become home to dozens of families with nowhere else to go.
However, the City of Windhoek says Baboon City is not recognised as an informal settlement and therefore falls outside the municipality’s service delivery framework.
City spokesperson Lydia Amutenya said the land forms part of a property leased to CRSG for purposes related to a road construction project and that the occupation originated from a temporary arrangement for workers employed on the project.
“As such, the occupation of the site originated from a temporary project-related arrangement and not through a formal settlement process recognised by the City,” Amutenya said.
She said the municipality had not allocated a budget for municipal infrastructure or service delivery in the area because it was never intended for permanent residential occupation.
“The City’s position remains that the area is not intended for permanent residential occupation and must be restored to its original condition upon completion of the project and expiry of the lease agreement,” she said.
Amutenya said the City has engaged CRSG on several occasions regarding compliance with the lease agreement, which requires occupants to vacate the site, temporary structures to be removed and the land rehabilitated once the project concludes.
She added that the City is currently pursuing the necessary processes to enforce compliance with the lease conditions and confirmed there are no plans to formalise the settlement or develop municipal infrastructure there.
Residents, however, argue that regardless of the legal status of the land, hundreds of people continue to live there and require access to essential services.
“We are not asking for luxury. We are asking for the basics that every citizen deserves, which is water, sanitation, electricity and roads,” Sihako said.
Community members say the lack of access to clean water remains their greatest challenge, with many forced to buy water from neighbouring settlements or walk long distances to fetch it.
“If they cannot give us taps immediately, they can at least provide us with large water tanks like those in other communities and refill them regularly. That alone would make a huge difference,” she said.
Many residents survive on informal work and odd jobs, saying the lack of employment opportunities makes it even more difficult to improve their living conditions. Some households rely on solar panels to charge mobile phones, while others struggle daily to secure enough money to buy water and food.
“We only want water. Water is life. Without it, everything becomes difficult,” Sihako said.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the settlement’s future, residents say they remain hopeful that the government will intervene before any relocation takes place.
“We are not asking for miracles. We just want to be treated like other citizens. We deserve to have access to the same basic services that other communities receive,” she said.
