KATIMA MULILO – The Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs (MODVA) has dismissed claims by a Katima Mulilo-based family that it has illegally occupied their ancestral land.
The family of the late Juda Kwala Sakutiya recently petitioned the ministry to halt activities on the Hippo Lodge premises in the Zambezi region.
They argued that the land belonged to their late father and that they had never been formally consulted.
They accused the ministry of “illegal occupation” and undermining their constitutional rights.
Responding to the dispute, MODVA spokesperson Colonel Petrus Shilumbu said Hippo Lodge was previously under the control of the South West Africa Territorial Force (SWATF) before independence.
After independence, the lodge and an adjacent aquaculture farm remained within a communal area under the jurisdiction of the Mafwe Traditional Authority.
“The Juda Kwala Sakutiya family has no legally registered right as stipulated in the Communal Land Reform Act, Section 19,” Shilumbu said.
He added that the property’s ownership and subsequent development were carried out in consultation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform (MAFWLR), the Mafwe Traditional Authority and the Zambezi Communal Land Board, in line with the Communal Land Reform Act 5 of 2002.
The ministry advised the Kwala family to direct their grievances to the MAFWLR and the Zambezi Communal Land Board, the institutions legally mandated to resolve disputes over communal land rights.
In a letter dated 27 August 2025, family representative Dobson Kwala alleged that the ministry was “dealing with the wrong family members” in Windhoek while sidelining the rightful heirs in Ishubu village. The family further argued that communal land rights rest with local headmen and communities, insisting that proper consultation had not been carried out.
The Kwala family has threatened to escalate the matter to the Office of the President, the Ombudsman, the Zambezi Regional Governor and the Anti-Corruption Commission if their demands are ignored.
However, the defence ministry maintains that all processes regarding Hippo Lodge were conducted in accordance with Namibian law.
The case highlights ongoing tensions around communal land ownership, where traditional claims often clash with formal legal frameworks and government development initiatives.