An uncompleted house in Meyer Street in Swakopmund’s Tamariskia has become a cesspool of dirt and garbage and a potential hideout for criminals and drug users. Uncompleted and even abandoned houses have become an eyesore, not only in Swakopmund but also in Walvis Bay. The communities of the coastal towns hope the local authorities of the two towns can act (namib times reported on the same matter in a recent edition on empty houses in Walvis Bay).
With regard to the Meyer Street house, from the outside, this uncompleted house looks like a work in progress, but a closer look reveals the dilapidated state the structures are actually in.
Empty beer bottles, garbage and excrement litter the floors of each room. There is a makeshift bed in the one room, indicating the place is used by vagrants or even criminals or drug users.
Residents in the area say different people can be seen there during the day. “They might be busy with drugs”, said one resident. Others say the house is used as a hideout by fleeing criminals.
A reporter from the namib times, who visited the property, noticed the vulgar graffiti on the walls and the debris in the yard. It is clear this house needs to be cleaned up before development can be continued.
A report has since been sent to the Municipality’s Health Department, to investigate and determine what can be done to curb the abuse of this property as it poses a risk in many ways to the residents of Tamariskia.
During holidays, school children can be seen frequenting the building. “There’s an old man who comes to sleep here at night”, said a passer-by who also lives in the area.
Abandoned buildings such as this are not only an eyesore, but a potential hideout for criminals and drug users