Windhoek’s homeless bear brunt of -2 °C weather

An unforgiving cold spell, which saw temperatures sinking as low as -2 °C on Monday, has hit Windhoek’s homeless population the hardest.

Those without a place to call home face a harsh reality that extends far beyond the discomfort of icy winds and biting cold. Among those affected is 53-year-old Gerson Gariseb, who has spent the last 15 years roaming the city on foot, in search of both food and shelter.

"I use boxes to cover myself from the cold when I sleep under bridges or in riverbeds," he said.

Gariseb added the extreme temperatures have exacerbated his health issues, as he has been struggling with severe migraines.

"I was stabbed with a screwdriver under my eye a while ago and went to the clinic to have it treated, but because the wound has been exposed to the cold, it has been causing me extreme pain and discomfort."

Stranded

Fifty-five-year-old Gideon Britz, who came to Windhoek two weeks ago after being promised a part-time painting job, shares the same plight.

"I collected and sold cans in Rehoboth and used N$40 to hitchhike to Windhoek to meet a man who called me and promised me a job. But when I arrived here, he told me the job was given to someone else. Now I am stranded, with no place to stay and no money to return," the father of three, who now spends his nights huddled up against the cold at the Pioneerspark playground, said.

Britz spends his days searching for sustenance in Windhoek’s central business district.

"I miss my kids. My only hope is to get the money to go back and feed them. School is starting soon and the N$30 I left them with has run out by now."

His children are aged eight, 13 and 18.

Scratch for scratch

Meanwhile, others, such as 39-year-old car guard Lucky Kayambo, have no choice but to endure the extreme temperatures.

He wakes up every morning and walks from the Okahandja Park informal settlement in Katutura to town to fulfil his duties as a car guard, charging customers to wash their tyres.

"I wake up and come here to struggle instead of resorting to theft, which is the easiest option for us to survive. We take whatever little we earn and return home to provide for our children so they can have something to eat," he said.

"Customers scratch my back by paying, and I scratch theirs by cleaning their tyres. Some give, some don't, but God gives us the strength to come and struggle every day,” Kayambo said.

Apart from extreme weather conditions, the city’s homeless residents also face natural disasters, depending on the season. In December 2022, 11 street kids were swept away by floods after heavy rains in Windhoek. Several of them died, police reported at the time.