Stampriet residents lament poor living conditions

There is a growing sense of dissatisfaction and disappointment amongst Stampriet residents over their poor living conditions.

Inhabitants of the village, located along the banks of the Auob River about 60 kilometres from Mariental, grapple with a lack of basic amenities, sanitation and access to education and healthcare every day.

This according to community spokesperson Sara Dewee, who said Stampriet Combined School has not received textbooks for more than a year.

Furthermore, learners are assigned research projects, but households lack internet connection and access to cellphones, which has become a burden for the youth, she said.

The combined school – which currently caters to grades four to nine – recently made an abrupt U-turn on a decision to offer more grades, informing parents to seek alternative education options for their children.

“Our children are being neglected by the education system. They told us in August to look for other schools for our kids,” Dewee said.

Grave threat

She also lamented the proximity of dumpsites to households, saying this poses a grave threat to the health and well-being of residents.

“The sewage drains are not pumped on time, resulting in residents having to walk through dirty water. When it rains, our houses are flooded with water. Last year, all our houses were flooded, and no one came to our help,” Dewee said, adding that while reports were handed in to regional leadership, no feedback has been received since.

She added that farmers who live nearby use the village as a dumping site.

“I reached out to the village council and questioned whether they were aware of the situation. Why can’t these farmers and businesses create their own dumpsite?”

Meanwhile, sick residents are unable to get the proper healthcare they need due to a lack of transport and finances, the spokesperson said.

“We hope to get an ambulance in the future so that we can attend to those who need to see a doctor. We have a lot of TB patients who are unemployed, are unable to afford their medication, and end up not finishing their treatment. We’ve tried writing letters to some of the farmers in Stampriet to sponsor the patients, but these patients end up using the funds for their own use.”

No toilets

According to residents, the absence of proper sanitation facilities in the expanding community has become a pressing concern.

With no access to toilets, residents are left with no choice but to use the surrounding bushes to relieve themselves.

However, as the community continues to grow and more houses are built, these bushes are gradually disappearing, Dewee said.

“Now we have to walk a distance to relieve ourselves, and this is very dangerous at night. Toilets were built for the elderly and disabled people 10 years ago, but the rest of the community still has to rely on the bushes.”

Drugs and alcohol

“Drugs are everywhere in Stampriet as residents from other towns come to sell it here. As a result, kids sell drugs at school,” Dewee said.

She highlighted incidents where young residents attacked their grandparents to get their pension grants.

“Such behaviour not only seriously transgresses the fundamental values of senior care and respect, but they also highlight larger social problems. Young children are in the shebeens. The owner doesn’t care as long as they make ends meet. How do you sell alcohol to an underage child?” she wanted to know.

Govt’s fault

Responding to queries on the status quo in Stampriet, Mariental Rural constituency head Deensia Swartbooi acknowledged the lack of service delivery and placed the blame at government’s feet.

“The current state of affairs in Stampriet is how we find it after many years of the Swapo government being in control,” she said.

She added that it is “high time” that the media report on what is happening in the village and for things to change.