Namibia: Rainstorms Wreak Havoc in //Kharas ...Roofs Snatched, Families Forced to Rebuild

BLOUWES - Recent heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds in //Kharas has left three homes at Farm Blouwes without roofs, forcing affected households to start from scratch.

Magrietha Beukes (74) ran to seek shelter at her neighbour's house when a violent thunderstorm lifted the roof off her house last week. She said she was terrified when strong winds lifted the roof of her veranda, prompting her to flee to her neighbour's house.

At her neighbour's home, strong winds tore up part of the roof before crashing it back down, damaging the house and terrifying those inside.

Beukes, who lives alone, said the incident had left her traumatised and anxious about what could happen if thunderstorms sweep through Blouwes again.

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Beukes's neighbour, Lisa Isaacks, said the rainy season brings fear to

She said her house was badly damaged during a thunderstorm last year when she also lost its roof.

She said the roof of her house was lifted in October last year and that she is trying to rebuild it using her pension.

Although she is uncertain how she will pay the workers, she said she had no choice but to repair the roof.

"I am still struggling to rebuild what I lost last year. It could be worse this year," Isaacks said.

Another resident, Norbert Bloodstaan, watched last week as strong winds lifted the roof from his house while he was inside.

After losing what he described as his life's hard work in a single night, Bloodstaan is currently living with his niece. Bloodstaan said he was alone in the house at the time and that, even as he ran to a nearby house, the wind was so strong it blew him sideways. He said the incident had left him deeply distressed, as he considers how to restore the safety and security of his home.

A nearby electricity pole and Bloodstaan's electrical box were also damaged. Bloodstaan said he is overwhelmed by the situation, adding that he is unemployed and under significant stress.

He said he only knows farm work and does not believe government assistance will arrive soon.

Bloodstaan said government processes take a long time and that he does not want to sit and wait.

However, Bloodstaan said he would accept assistance from the government and good Samaritans to help restore his house.

Local development committee member Jacqueline Bloodstaan said the Blouwes community is mainly inhabited by pensioners who have built makeshift houses that cannot withstand extreme weather.

Bloodstaan said the farm is home mainly to pensioners and that structured housing for the elderly is urgently needed.

She added that the Blouwes area has been forgotten and left behind, with the Blouwes Primary School and the community hostel being the only government institutions in the area. Bloodstaan said the community is only remembered during elections and is neglected afterwards. She said politicians visit the area during elections but are nowhere to be seen when locals need help. Similar incidents were reported in Snyfontein in the //Kharas region, where strong winds also blew roofs off houses. Control administrative officer Sixtus Isaacks for the Berseba constituency said the constituency office has done necessary assessments on the damage that has been done in the Bouwes, Snyfontein and Vaalgras areas.

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"I have done my attachment, and we have submitted it to the central government," Isaacks said.

Isaacks said that it was by luck that no lives were lost during the thunderstorms.

"We are lucky that no lives were lost and there were no injuries," he said. He added that houses built with poor-quality products are prone to damage during thunderstorms, urging locals to invest in quality zinc roofs.

"This zinc is like paper. It is not durable. It cannot withstand heavy rainfall," Isaacks said. He said Bouwes' community is under traditional authority and that they mostly report to traditional authorities.

"Their first line of comfort is from the traditional authority," he said. The Blouwes' traditional authority is currently not recognised by the government.

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