ONGWEDIVA – A land dispute has erupted between the Etunda Parish of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN) and the Uukolonkadhi Traditional Authority over a swathe of land measuring 1090 by 400 square metres.
The land in question is situated opposite the Etunda Irrigation Project in the Omusati Region. The church wants to build a school hostel and a clinic to the tune of N$25 million with funding from the Dirk Mudge Trust Fund, a fund established by Dirk Mudge the former DTA politician, parliamentarian and founder of the Republican Party, who was one of the framers of the Namibian constitution.
According to the Etunda Parish Pastor Paulus Heita the traditional authority has suddenly informed the church that the land is no longer available to the church, when the parish started fencing off the land in preparation for the planned construction projects. However, Chief Daniel Shoya of the Oukolongadhi Traditional Authority could not be reached to respond to queries about the alleged dispute. According to the secretary of the traditional authority, Malakia Shoombe, the matter has been discussed by the traditional leaders and another meeting where a final decision will hopefully be arrived at is expected to take place today. Heita says the Oukolongadhi Traditional Authority gave the land in question to the Etunda Parish in 1953 and Shoya was still the traditional chief at the time, and the parish registered ownership with the colonial authorities in 1954. He said the church was forced to vacate the premises when the liberation war inside the country intensified along the Namibia/Angola border.
However, the church has since returned to reassert its ownership following the attainment of independence in 1991 and villagers who had settled on the land in the intervening years have been relocated to other areas. “We have kept some part of the land idle since then, but now we have realised that we could put the land to good use. Chief Shoya has however decided that part of the land be returned to the traditional authority. Why? We had already entered into agreement for the church to own the land now he comes up with this. We are not moving an inch, no part of the land will be taken,” said Heita.
He said the parishioners and the traditional authority held a meeting last week to discuss the dispute, which has now been left in the hands of the traditional authority to sort out. “We had a meeting last week Friday, but it was decided that the traditional authority should now discuss the matter. All we know is that they had given us that land. They know where the borders of the land begin and end, so we just hope they will come to a fair conclusion on this matter,” said Heita.
By Kakunawe Shinana