We’ll cover you in dreck
The Civil Rights Group, ‘Restoring the Dignity of Our People’ attempted to hand a petition to the Mayor of Windhoek, Honourable Muesee Kazapua on Wednesday this week but the Office of the Mayor refused to accept the written and signed document claiming it was unauthorised, and stating that the Mayor was not present for the moment.
The representatives of ‘Restoring the Dignity of Our People’, claimed they have warned the officials a week ago that a formal petition will be submitted this week. Despite the absence of all senior City officials, the community organisation’s leaders were not deterred and one of the directors, Oslen Kahiriri read the petition out loud in public in front of the Windhoek Mayor’s office.
He said that the current local government sphere is not structured in a way that people will be able to enjoy the same resources as compared to their elite compatriots. “It is our view that local government needs a rigorous and radical overhaul and restructuring such that it will begin to respond to [the] immediate and pressing needs of people on the ground,” he announced.
“We are not dogs, however if a dog feels offended it will bite, and now we are biting, we demand proper housing with humane ablution facilities, the return of public institutions such as libraries, playgrounds and sanitation sites,” demanded Kahiriri. He also exclaimed that it was not acceptable that no one was here to receive their petition while they sent letters on 22 January to the relevant authorities, including Genl Sebastian Ndeitunga, Inspector General of the Namibian Police, Hon Sophia Shaningwa, the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Mr Fillemon Hambuda, acting CEO of The City of Windhoek and to the Mayor himself, giving notice of this demonstration. Engelhardt Ngatjikare who is also a director of the Civil Rights Group said that they are tired of living in filth like animals while the elites live in their luxury homes, with many toilets. “We live like dogs while they are getting wealthy and fatter by the day, our mothers and sisters are not safe in riverbeds where they go and answer the call of nature, they do not care for us,” he said in frustration.
They also emphasised the fact that the taps of the poor are being shut down, but said they have heard that the bourgeois ruling elites owe [the City] hundreds and thousands of dollars yet their taps are never closed. This, he said, must stop.
They demanded that within three months of the petition, national and local government should address the masses on how they will redress and address the injustice faced by the people. “If they do not address these issues within three months to this date, we will come back with plastic bags and buckets with our faeces and throw them in front of the Mayor’s office so that they can experience and see how we live, because they have forgotten,” the directors threatened.
