Otweya: Over 70 shacks go up in flames

Over 70 shacks caught fire in Walvis Bay’s Otweya informal settlement on Friday evening, seeing more than 200 residents scrambling to save their belongings.

While reports have varied on the incident - with some numbering the shacks at between 90 to almost 200, the figures were confirmed late yesterday afternoon by Walvis Bay Rural constituency councillor Florian Donatus.

The incident took place at around 19:15, while some were out getting the weekend started, others were still at work and some were resting and preparing dinner.

The fire reportedly began in the middle of the informal settlement and spread, burning down about 70 homes. Most of the shacks were completely razed before the Walvis Bay municipality fire brigade could contain the flames.

According to a police report, the body of an unidentified man was found burnt beyond recognition.

Just over four years ago, a massive fire blazed through the same informal settlement, which was formerly known as Twaloloka, killing a toddler. Hundreds were left homeless after that fire.



Temporary shelter

In a statement, the Walvis Bay municipality said the fire started on an erf allocated to the National Housing Enterprise (NHE), which had been illegally occupied.

After the fire, a temporary shelter has been set up until 11 October, after which the affected persons are expected to secure other living arrangements. Necessities were also donated to the victims.

“Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this unfortunate incident, and the council will continue to offer the necessary support to the affected families within reasonable means,” the statement read.

Namibian Sun has been reliably informed that at least 70 of the victims are not Namibian. Donatus said there are concerns over the increasing number of Angolan immigrants in the town, especially in informal areas.

Speaking to Namibian Sun yesterday, he said his office has approached the home affairs ministry to visit the area in order to assess the situation. “Many of those affected by the fire are immigrants. This situation has become problematic. We must determine the number of Namibians affected by the fire,” he said.

He also indicated that 148 houses that were built in Otweya have not been allocated to beneficiaries yet because “it was discovered that some of the beneficiaries on the list are immigrants”.

“We are waiting on a legal opinion on how to deal with that matter because people were just put on the list without any verification being done,” he lamented.



‘Left with nothing’

One of the victims of Friday’s incident, Beata Shaalukeni, appealed for help after the devastating fire swept through the area.

The blaze has left the community in ruins, with many residents - including Shaalukeni - losing everything they owned. "I am left with nothing, everything burnt to ashes. I just have the clothes I'm wearing," she said.

She added that political parties keep saying we should vote for change. "What change if we are still crying to be given land in our own country?" she questioned.

Shaalukeni further said they are aware that the land they are occupying has been allocated to the NHE. "We have cried so many times for the municipality to give us land, but they kept quiet."