2015-03-02Staff Report 2 WINDHOEK/RUNDU – The Affirmative Repositioning residential land activists Job Amupanda and Dimbulukeni Nauyoma yesterday described the countrywide mass land applications – mainly by young Namibians without houses - as a success. They announced that close to 35 000 applications were submitted to different municipalities around the country. “We declare the mass action very successful. There has never been such a level of unity,” Amupanda briefed journalists in Windhoek yesterday. Speaking at a press conference, Amupanda and Nauyoma said although a few hiccups were reported the process was free of violence. Some politicians tried their best to stop the action on Friday but they failed to do so, the duo noted. The Windhoek Municipality at first refused to accept applications of landless people, they said. Amupanda explained that he and his colleagues had to drive back to Windhoek from Okahandja where they spearheaded the applications. They had a two-hour meeting with the Windhoek municipal spokesperson, Joshua Amukugo, after which people were allowed to submit applications, Amupanda elaborated. About 2 500 applications were submitted to the Windhoek Municipality on Friday, Walvis Bay received close to 9 500 applications, Okahandja close to 4 000, Ongwediva and Oshakati each received about 2 500 applications, Keetmanshoop over 800 applications, Otjiwarongo close to 200 applications, Tsumeb slightly over 200 applications. “We are proud of the thousands of youth who applied for land and even in towns where we don’t have coordinators applications were handed in,” stated Amupanda. Although the coordinator of Affirmative Repositioning in Rundu, a certain Kupembona AL, withdrew from the action, saying it was cancelled, some 398 youths submitted their applications with the Rundu Town Council’s chief executive officer, Romanus Haironga. The coordinator of Affirmative Repositioning in Rundu wrote a letter to the CEO of the town council confirming his withdrawal a day before without giving reasons as to why he surrendered. People didn’t know who was actually coordinating the process as it seemed anonymous. They were only following instructions from Job Amupanda. Amupanda said yesterday that it was a move by politicians to discourage landless people in Rundu and other places from applying for land. “Politicians failed all over the country and even in Rundu they did not succeed,” said Amupanda. However, Amupanda noted that some local authorities were cooperative. “We really need land and if this materialises then we will be content on the land part and we can afford to develop it. We are not just applying for the sake of applying,” said a landless youth in Rundu who asked for anonymity. 2015-03-02Staff Report 2
