While some quarters celebrate Independence Day, more than two hundred people living on the outskirts of the Walvis Bay municipality dumpsite say they have little to celebrate as they continue to struggle for survival.

The group, largely made up of unemployed and homeless individuals, say they feel trapped and forgotten.

Some had moved to Walvis Bay in search of better opportunity, while others were brought in by relatives with promises of a better life.

However, when jobs were lost, support systems collapsed, leaving them with no option but to survive on the streets.

"It's not like a person who is in an independent country."

"Why do we have to vote for the people? After voting, we are suffering; it's too much pain for us. From January to December, we are suffering here."

"Where is independence? I don't even have money to go there where independence is. I am struggling here. How can I take that little money, N$400 - N$500, and go there while my kids are hungry? I can't do that."

Residents spend long hours searching through waste for recyclable materials such as tin, copper and plastic containers.

These are then sold for a small amount of money, which is used to buy basic food items to sustain themselves and, in some cases, their families.

Conditions at the site remain dire, with limited access to shelter, clean water and sanitation.

In her independence message, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah acknowledged that many of the citizens continue to face poverty and inequality. 

Many families, she says, are still seeking meaningful employment, decent housing, and access to basic services that allow them to live with dignity.

She lamented Namibians are too few to be poor, calling for collective action and shared responsibility.