Residents at Grootfontein recently took it upon themselves to clean their town, which has for years struggled with waste management.
In 2021, the town released a notice informing the public that the waste-collection division is experiencing delays in solid waste services. The town was sitting with ageing and malfunctioning trucks, and was collecting waste using smaller equipment, which took more time and required longer working hours.
The collected waste is dumped at an open-air landfill where little recycling is done.
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Grootfontein mayor Talitha Garises says the cleaning up campaigns are part of the town's waste management programme. She says it is the councillors' responsibility to engage the community to ensure that the town remains clean.
"The municipality has education awareness programmes on waste management literacy, and this programme is normally done by sending notices through public information and house-to-house delivery by community volunteers and school pupils," she adds.
Grootfontein Municipality spokesperson Luke Salomo says previous clean-up drives were mostly reactive, triggered by comparison with other towns or complaints from residents about littering.
"The campaign was not just about removing waste; it was about reclaiming pride in their community, proving that change does not always start with council offices but those determined to see progress," says Salomo.
Kalenga Primary School, Wilhelm Nortier Primary School, and Shamalidi Kindergarten, local businesses such as Grootfontein Tractors & Implements, Endombo Financial Services, and Northern Arms and Ammo, as well as community organisations and members of the public participated in the clean-up campaign.
Local social justice activist Benjamin Pablo questions the municipality's role in maintaining cleanliness beyond this clean-up campaign.
"Cleanliness should not be treated as an event, it must be a routine responsibility. Without regular waste collection, community education, and proper enforcement of bylaws, any short-term efforts will be quickly undone," he says.
Meanwhile, the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) army wing also joined residents in the clean-up campaign.
The clean up started from the military base, all the way through the town and into nearby informal settlements.
NDF spokesperson colonel Petrus Shilumbu says the participation of the troops in the initiative is part of their secondary role, which is to assist civil power and civil authority during peace time and when the need arises.
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"That is not our job, we are not employed to do that, we are just rendering assistance to local authorities and to keep our environment clean," he says.
