Windhoek
A heavily pregnant woman was among the many people who turned up on Friday morning to clear land in Goreangab – hoping she will one day benefit from the government project that aims to service 200 000 plots countrywide.
Initially last Friday was the day when landless Namibians would illegally occupy land countrywide, an action spearheaded by the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement. But during talks between President Hage Geingob and the AR a week ago the two parties reached an agreement to address the land crisis, in terms of which the government would start servicing identified land in Windhoek, Walvis Bay and Oshakati.
Geingob, accompanied by Urban and Rural Development Minister Sophia Shaningwa, then visited Windhoek, Walvis Bay and Oshakati where they met municipal officials who briefed them about the available land in their respective towns. Windhoek at least has 2 000 hectares of serviced and virgin land available while Oshakati has 6 171 un-serviced erven. Walvis Bay has 10 000 plots available for servicing, of which 350 erven are reserved for use by the municipality.
During the meeting between Geingob and AR it was also resolved that the period between July 29 to August 5 2015 would be dedicated to a nationwide clearance of identified urban land.
Feni Martin, 22, is heavily pregnant and is due any day but she joined those who volunteered to clear land in Goreangab, Windhoek. Martin is an orphan and grew up in a children’s home in Eros. But because of her condition she left the orphanage and now lives with a relative after moving house several times.
“I want land,” she said, before her foster mother Jacqui Möller chipped in:
“I brought her here so that she can experience that nothing is for free. No one will give you something for free. I taught her that you have to work for whatever you want in life,” said Möller who hopes Martin will get land one day.
Another volunteer clad in blue overalls and holding a panga for clearing land was Lucas Mbangu, who said he was doing it for the nation and to meet government halfway. Mbangu said he is a student at a local college and an AR supporter. “I am excited to be part of this exercise and am prepared and geared up to work in the area. I came in the morning when Minister Sophia was here. I just took a break from the work to drink water,” Mbangu said before returning to continue clearing land.
On site was a front-end loader levelling the ground. Land activist Job Amupanda said the machinery was donated by the Roads Contractor Company (RCC) and the municipality.
“We have volunteers who are technical. We have surveyors and civil engineers among others,” he said. “It is good that something practical is being done. You can see they are scraping the ground for the future roads,” said Amupanda, noting the turnout was good. He also said that there was a police presence on site.
“We wanted to give Kanime a panga and axe to cut. He is supposed to cut and not be standing,” he said. Abraham Kanime is the chief of the Windhoek City Police.