Auleria Wakudumo
The Ongwediva Town Council has directed illegal shack dwellers to remove their structures after they occupied land without authorisation.
The town council instructed them to remove the shacks following an inspection of the illegally occupied plots by the department of technical and planning services team at the Omatando area on Tuesday.
The town’s spokesperson Ottilie Shingenge said the inspection revealed a significant number of illegal shacks at Omatando phases 1, 3 and 5.
The team had to mark all of them because the owners were absent.
“The town council doesn’t immediately remove the shacks. Instead, illegal shack dwellers are typically given seven days to remove their shacks. If they fail to comply, the council then refers to the town planning scheme to determine the appropriate next steps, which may ultimately lead to the removal of the shacks,” she noted.
She said they have observed that the Omatando area is being targeted for illegal land occupation.
She stated that they did not have an exact count of the illegal shacks marked on Tuesday.
The town council urged Namibians to refrain from illegal land occupation, stating that it is unlawful and unacceptable.
“The act of illegal occupation of land is prohibited by law, and is condemned in the town planning scheme. Residents are cautioned not to engage in this unlawful act to avoid penalties or even losing their properties,” Shingenge added.
She advised those seeking to own land to follow the right procedures by approaching the council’s office through the planning division.