OKAHANDJA - Some of the over 2 000 people who allegedly grabbed unserviced municipal land at Okahandja last year are still in limbo over the promised plots by the local authority.
The minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni, in August 2020 had applied to the High Court to evict about 2 000 people who allegedly grabbed unserviced municipal land at the Garden Town.
Uutoni and the Okahandja municipality asked the court to authorise the eviction of residents who occupied some parts of the town’s unserviced land illegally.
The people who faced eviction include residents living in informal structures at locations of Okahandja such as Ekunde, Ekunde Extension 5, Veddersdal Extension 1, 2, and 3 and Five Rand Extension 3 and 4 as well as other municipal land occupied unlawfully.
In September, the court ordered the land grabbers to remove their illegally erected structures.
However, Uutoni felt the demands from the community members who grabbed land were genuine and ordered that everyone be registered to be allocated a piece of land.
In an interview with New Era, some residents say they are still uncertain as to what happened to that idea of plot allocation since the minister gave them certificates of land ownership.
Wiekus Coetzee said he came to Okahandja in 2001 and went to Rosh Pinah to look for work.
His dream never came true and he decided to return to Okahandja.
“I am unemployed. And I saw this place that looks like Jurassic Park. People walk in these bushes going to work at Veddersdal and children walk to school. It is dangerous. Their lives are at risk. So in 2018, I decided to grab this land to make my house because I don’t have accommodation,” said Coetzee.
“I told people to come and let us take off these bushes looking like Jurassic Park threatening women and children and make it a residential area. After, I came here and struggled to build my shack. I made my garden to try to feed my family.”
In 2018, he said the police have since been chasing them away but they remained defiant due to lack of accommodation.
Coetzee claimed some political leaders last year told them to go grab land and now they are ignoring their plight when the police are evicting them.
“I built my house last year with the little money I saved up. The police came and told me to remove the structure. I didn’t want to disobey the rules. I just don’t have accommodation. Where must I go? It is raining, please the municipality must give us a chance. I sleep with one eye open because the police said they are coming to the scrapper to run over my house. I feel very bad. No matter what happens, I am trying my best to feed my family from this piece of land,” he added.
Coetzee struggles to fill his gas stove where they cook due to lack of power.
Furthermore, he wants the municipality to service the land and allocate it to needy residents.
The residents also want potable water.
At the moment, the majority of Oshetu residents walk long distances in search of water and other municipal services.
He planted beans, maize, parsley, tomatoes and green pepper.
According to him, this is the right time to produce food because there are good rains.
He said once his garden flourishes, he will not sell his produce but rather for home consumption.
“I even told my neighbour that if he is building now, then he should start planting food for his family due to poverty. We can’t earn income. There are no jobs due to corona,” Coetzee said.
Another homeless resident, Neville Tueutjiua (33), said he decided to grab land because he needs a place to call home.
“We grew up here. This is home for us, but we don’t have a place to call home. I am employed, but I can’t afford to pay for a home mortgage. That is why we are grabbing land. I was about to build my shack but the police stopped us,” he stated.
According to Tueutjiua, the municipality identified a place to relocate them.
However, they complained that the identified area is not serviced and it is a dumpsite situated along Okahandja-Gross Barmen road.
Most say the place is far from town when they are in need of basic services such as shops, hospitals and offices.
Contacted for comment, Uutoni yesterday said people were registered while the council is servicing Ekunde No.4 and 5.
“We surveyed No.5 and demarcated more than 300 plots and allocated them to residents. I gave them certificates of land ownership. Before we proceeded to survey No 4, people complained that the council selected police officers and soldiers at their expense for plots allocation. I went to sit with the community at the council chamber and I then ordered that everyone is registered to be on an inclusive list. They then registered. It is up to council to continue engaging the community,” he said.
Okahandja mayor Natasha Brinkman said the matter was still in the hands of the minister, claiming Uutoni was yet to officially handover the remaining certificates.
–anakale@nepc.com.na
Thirst for land… One such resident facing eviction is Wiekus Coetzee in his small garden at Veddersdal.
Photo: Albertina Nakale