No plan, no peace in the ghetto

HEINRICH SCHROEDER WRITES:

10 December 2020

Edited excerpts from an open letter to President Hage Geingob and Windhoek Mayor Job Amupanda

The are memories from my late father's notebook and the 2021 century “New Mind-Set”.

The Tischlerei Werkstatt was a business establishment located in the Old Location. The Old Location was not only a business centre but also the habitat of the native people of Namibia. However, they were moved forcefully by the white regime as they wanted the progressive environment for themselves.

The Schroeder's were the last to be forced from the old location. The whites told my father he could remain until an industrial area which was in the planning stages was available. However, they removed Simon Schroeder and his family without even giving them time to pack their belongings. His children were heartbroken to see his work of years destroyed and his equipment dumped at his two residential plots in Khomasdal.

Simon Schroeder started out in the Old Location in 1954. As his son, with the experience and mentorship gained from working with my late father, I developed a unique interlocking masonry block building system in 2006, which today is patented worldwide.

You never can give a man anything when you took away everything. A powerful statement!



SAME OLD, SAME OLD . . .

What happened to Mr Schroeder was later experienced by his son.

On 5 November 2019 my machine was dumped in the open air.

To replace this machine will cost over 7 million now.

This machine was taken away from the factory forcefully without any legal court papers and they used the police force (CR 321/11/2019). This is evidence that what happened during the time of Apartheid is still happening as some want to maintain a monopoly in the business and finance sector.

The unity of yesteryear was unmatched during the hardest time of our struggles. In the 40s to the 80s people fought hard to achieve their united goal of financial independence as a country, but this is compromised today.

Coloured men can easily walk away from something they helped create and still be “honoured” for it.

There is power in numbers.

When will the socalled “coloured” people realize that their voices and wallets are just as powerful as any other race. Then and only then will we finally see in our lifetime changes to uplift poverty.

I would love it if we have a “black wall street”, a term for a black community of competitive business, sort of like the old Chinatown or Koreatown. To help our own communities to be more business orientated especially the street vendors, then what a wonderful world would it be to live in.

Though a person is always proud of all that has transpired to build Namibia and have set the trends around the world, it is sad to see how we fight each other again.



OTHER NOTES BY MY FATHER

• I remember when there were black communities, black businesses, in the old location Windhoek, it used to be a peaceful time. I also remember when it took a community to raise a child.

• A look back at humble beginnings and the power of love.

• What I wish is that every one could stand as one, for each other for the person they are and not by someone's skin colour, religion or language barriers.

• The care for each other touches the soul, there is no place on this earth for racism.

• My heart goes out to anyone who has had to deal with it.

• Understand better the great ­struggle!

• This was when people had little, but love for one another.

Today, it just breaks my heart, you can feel the helplessness in the voice of the poorest of the poor in the informal settlements.

Sixty years later, the same problems, no solutions, who is the enemy? Why is it being passed down from generation to generation?

Our Master Plan, set to be launched in December, will be the eye opener for politicians.

Hear me say this: I am not a politician, I am a friend of all political parties. I am a freedom fighter for the community, and advocate for those that has been cast out in the flesh and bone to rot in the outskirts in the informal settlements of Africa.

In the Bible it says whatever you do for those in need God will bless you and God will bless your country.



TO THE MUNICIPALITY

Any municipality in Africa can bring down a ruling party, for the simple reason that they haven't got a master plan for bulk infrastructure. No, master plan no peace in the ghetto.

The quality of plans by the municipality will proof that those living in the informal settlements is somebody in the society and not a nobody.

We are bringing a solution to the African plight through knowledgeable and smart construction ways, which will erase if not all, then most of the problems currently experienced in the construction and home ownership systems. Once we launch our handbook “The Master Plan” we will have our own YouTube channel to discuss important topics on the master plan in more detail.