‘Tombo is all we have’

Young mothers at Gobabis drink all day to relieve hunger pangs

Fransina is struggling to balance on her feet as she shouts: “We are suffering!”

Her shouting draws the attention of observers nearby. But Fransina doesn’t care who hears her.

Not far from her is one of the busy ‘tombo huise’ (tombo houses), as they call them at Gobabis’ Kanaan B settlement.

Fransina and other unemployed mothers in their early 20s up to early 40s come here as early as 06h00 and leave well after midnight.

Tomorrow they will repeat the cycle, losing track of time as the alcohol flows.

The authorities at Gobabis say alcohol is a major challenge, causing child neglect, crime, domestic violence and poor productivity.

Kanaan, named after the Biblical ‘promised land of milk and honey’, is a far cry from this.

The informal settlement has no running water, no electricity, and no toilets – or food. But social workers say tombo houses are in abundance.

“Tombo is all we have. What else can we eat? It fills our tummies,” Fransina says, her eyes blood-shot.