A 16-year-old teen last week expressed serious concern about the harsh living conditions faced by families and children living at a dumpsite outside Okahandja.

“We are in need of assistance. Children are here at the dumpsite every day. Most of them do not attend school. We need educated children in the future, but many are forced to live and eat here,” he said.

He appealed to government, councillors and community elders to urgently look into the situation. He urged government and regional leaders to relocate the families to safer living areas, especially children who are of school-going age and should be in classrooms instead of surviving at the dumpsite.

He further called on leaders to visit the area and witness the suffering faced by residents first-hand to find lasting solutions.

At the time of the interview, he was accompanied by his mother, who was collecting wood, and his baby sister.

- Aurelia Afrikaner