By Albertina Nakale
WINDHOEK – The Secretary General (SG) of the Oruuano Namibian Artists Union, Vincent Mwemba, who illegally erected several shacks at the Independence Arena in Windhoek could be evicted.
Mwemba took advantage of the present acute housing shortage in Windhoek by turning the Independence Arena, which is meant for hosting musical and cultural events, into his private cash cow by erecting several iron-sheet shacks for rent inside the arena. His illicit business includes a flourishing eatery. He faces forceful eviction if he does not remove his shacks within two weeks. The Acting Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture, Dr Vetumbuavi Veii, who was initially unaware of the shacks at the arena, issued the warning.
New Era last week reported that Mwemba generates revenue from at least ten tenants who rent the shacks that he erected illegally inside the venue.
Mwemba erected the shacks without seeking permission from the government, the legal owner of the arena.
The shacks had gone undetected because they are cleverly disguised and blend in almost seamlessly with the wall of the Independence Arena.
“I did not know anything about the illegal activities until I saw the article in the paper on Thursday. Since I am a new Acting P.S. I called for a meeting on Friday with my staff on the issue. During the meeting it transpired that the gentleman was already issued with a letter written by the former P.S. (Steve Katjiuanjo) telling him to vacate the premises on 14 May this year. As to why he refused to move, I don’t know,” Veii said.
Veii said he was going to write him another eviction letter and deliver it in the presence of the Namibian Police, which will give the defiant Mwemba a two-week notice to demolish his shacks and the restaurant.
“If he fails to do so the police will forcefully remove him,” warned Veii.
Mwemba, according to an investigation by New Era, charges between N$800 and N$1000 each month for each of the corrugated-iron shacks he erected at the arena.
Since the venue has no electricity, Mwemba has resorted to a generator that runs from 08h00 to 15h00, and then it is switched off and put back on at 18h00 until 23h00 to supply tenants and his restaurant with power. His restaurant serves chicken, meatballs and porridge to the public, including police officers from the police band that patronize his business.
Mwemba with his family of ten people, among them his wife and children, live in a storeroom at the arena since his house was repossessed in 2007 over a home debt.
The Acting P.S. also said he had approached the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to properly investigate whether Mwemba has indeed been charging tenants rent while using government property, including water, for free.
The debt-saddled Mwemba has not only turned the Independence Arena into his personal cash cow, but he and his family have since 2009 been using free water and electricity at the expense of the government and by extension the tax-paying Namibian public.
His tenants say because of their desperation for a home they have no choice but to rent from him.
The enterprising Mwemba has also created a backyard garden where he planted tomatoes and traditional spinach, well known as ‘five years’.
On the same government premises, he is also running an office, which was established in 1998 and falls under the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture with the aim to protect the rights of artists.
When approached for comment Mwemba denied he is living off the public venue and making a killing in the process, claiming that he is using the money from the illegal shacks to sustain the union, which cannot even pay for the water, electricity and salaries of its workers.
“I am sitting with telephone bills and electricity bills, which run into millions. I am trying to settle them to avoid legal action. That is why I built the shacks and the restaurant to get some money to sustain the union,” claimed Mwemba, who says he has nothing to hide.
Mwemba said life became so miserable after the bank repossessed his house in 2007 because he could not repay his mortgage.
During that time, Mwemba explained, the union was in a financial mess and had no operational budget.
According to him, way back in 2010 his union office could not afford to pay the electricity bills, which prompted the municipality to cut off the electricity supply.
New Era is in possession of a letter dated November 15 2013 from the municipality addressed to the Oruuano Artists Union, informing the outfit that it was in arrears by at least N$235 666 from 2010 to date.
Mwemba says the bill escalated because he did not know they were sharing power with two other organisations operating on the same premises that also resort under the youth ministry.