Repatriated Namibian returns home to find family relocated

By: Staff Reporter

Thirty-four-year-old Kaveto Wayera, one of the six Namibians from the Kavango Regions that has been repatriated from South Africa, returned home on Monday only to discover that her family had relocated from Marema Village to Maporeza in the Kavango West Region, leaving her without a room of her own.

Kaveto said she had been living in Vredendal, South Africa, explaining that before crossing into South Africa, she worked on a grape farm in Aussenkehr from 2021 to 2022, but said the income was too low to sustain her.

She left Namibia on 15 January 2023 in search of better employment opportunities and later found work as a domestic worker in South Africa.

“I went to South Africa because I was struggling. I was under paid and I wanted to earn a better living,” she said.

Kaveto explained that she crossed into South Africa using a border pass before later living and working in Vredendal.

However, life as an undocumented migrant became increasingly difficult. She eventually registered with the Namibian government for voluntary repatriation and returned home as part of a group of six Namibians from the Kavango Region.

She said she expected to return to her family’s home after arriving in Namibia but was surprised to learn that her relatives had relocated to Maporeza Village during her absence.

Now unemployed, Wayera says she is sharing a room with her elderly mother because there is no extra space for her.

“I don’t have my own room. I’m sleeping with my mother because there is nowhere else for me to stay,” she said.

Kaveto, who left school in Grade 8, is also concerned about the future of her two school-going children, who are in Grades 1 and 8.

She said she has not yet received any information on assistance to help her reintegrate into the community or secure permanent accommodation.

“We were not told anything about relocation or what support we would receive after coming back home,” she said.

Kaveto is now appealing for employment opportunities and assistance with accommodation as she works to rebuild her life in Namibia.

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