Despite several visits and promises by political party representatives over the years, residents of Baboon City on the outskirts of Windhoek say they are only pleading for one basic necessity, water.
The settlement, located behind Rocky Crest and Pioneers Park along the B1 road, has no formal water supply or sanitation facilities. Residents say they depend on people from neighbouring informal settlements to deliver water, paying about N$100 for a 25-litre container, a cost many can barely afford.
Many residents are left with no choice but to walk long distances in search of water.
Baboon City was established in 2018 when more than 150 workers employed by the China Railway Seventh Group on a road construction project allegedly lost their jobs.
Unable to afford alternative accommodation, many settled on the land behind the construction site in search of a fresh start.
Most of the settlement's residents are young people who survive on odd jobs and informal work to put food on the table. Sihoka says every day is a struggle as families battle to meet their most basic needs.
Mukambo Sihoka, who has since formed the Baboon City Women's Network to advocate for the community, says access to water and sanitation remains their biggest challenge.
"We want a government to help us with water. Water, water. I cannot say I am water, food or water. Because as we are struggling, people that are living here, they are struggling. As you see some of them, they were burning some things there. They used to go collect things from damp insides and sell and get something. But the first of the things that we need here are gas and water."
Residents have turned to makeshift solutions to survive. Many charge their mobile phones using solar panels, while young men take on odd jobs whenever opportunities arise to provide food for their families. There's a health risk because of all the dirt piling up.
Residents say they are appealing to the government to improve their living conditions by providing access to basic services.
"When it's time to vote, we are there, but where are they now?"
Community members say they are not asking for luxury but for essential services, urging authorities to provide access to water, sanitation and other basic infrastructure to improve their living conditions.