The residents of Ocean View and Mile 4 in Swakopmund have expressed concern over the rapid mushrooming of informal shacks in the settlement of DRC, on the outskirts of the coastal town.

These concerns were raised by the residents during a consultative meeting organized over the weekend by the Swakopmund municipality.

Over the past years, a significant number of people have been flocking to Swakopmund, driven by the pursuit of opportunities in the mining and tourism sectors. Consequently, this has led to a surge in the number of shacks within informal settlements.

The settlement known as DRC accommodates over 20,000 residents, most of them unemployed.

Swakopmund Mayor Dina Namubes earnestly implored residents to understand the challenges faced by the municipality. She further emphasised the need for maximum effort to curb the proliferation of shacks.

"I just wanted to highlight that there are some elements that are contributing to the increase of these shacks, and that must be respected and taken into consideration. These people that are staying in the shacks are coming and working for us at our homes; our security guards are coming from those shacks; the domestic workers that are coming and cleaning our back yards and houses are coming from those shacks."

The mayor further urged residents to pay their domestic workers decent salaries in order to improve their living standards.

"We are dealing with these people on a daily basis when they come to the municipality. We are cutting their water supply. It's so sad to tell you this, but I have to tell you this: they come and cry, begging the municipality for their water to be reconnected, and we can't do that, but when we look at the salary advice or the salary slaps, we are giving them peanuts. As the employers, we are sitting here at this venue, and I believe we will help decrease the shacks if we improve their salaries."