banner

 

The !Nami#Nus Constituency Office has come to the aid of Sara Niklaaste, an 80-year-old resident of the Aus Settlement who was left homeless after being evicted from a commercial farm.

Niklaaste had worked on the farm, which she called home, for about 40 years. Her late husband was employed by the farm owner and passed away in 2011.

In response to Niklaaste and her family's plight, the !Nami#Nus Constituency Office stepped in to lend a helping hand. They constructed a two-bedroom house for the family through their social housing scheme.

Niklaaste explains that the family was recently left destitute after the farm changed ownership following the death of the farmer who had employed her late husband. Currently, they are living in a corrugated zinc shack they set up in a relative's backyard.

Sara Niklaaste expressed her gratitude: "I am grateful for the helping hand. But, I still feel sadness over my personal possessions that are still at the farm."

The estimated cost of the house is over $100,000.

A community member involved in the project says various stakeholders, including locals, have also contributed in-kind or financially towards the construction of the house.

Wenzel Cornelius, a community member, says, "Any volunteer in Namibia, we have to look and lend a helping hand to those who have become homeless because of evictions. We know it is not nice to be landless or homeless."

-

Category

Author
Luqman Cloete