WALVIS BAY - The Walvis Bay municipality has been criticised for issuing an eviction notice last week, targeting those living and trading without permission on municipal land.
Owners of little shops and stalls have until 31 March to remove their structures and business from such land, according to a notice shared by the municipality on their social media pages.
“The municipality would like to inform the public that anyone with illegal, unauthorised and or unapproved structures, buildings or illegal land uses on land owned by the municipality are urged to remove their structures before or on 31 March.
“This includes illegal structures on land reserved for streets, public open spaces (such as parks) and municipal purposes. This notice is served in terms of Section 51(2)(a)(i) of the Local Authorities Act, 1992 (Act No. 23 of 1992) as amended, and Clause 5.2 of the Walvis Bay Town Planning Scheme,” the notice reads.
According to the municipality, anyone who does not comply with the notice before the said date will be fined or face imprisonment.
The municipality has also vowed in its notice to ensure illegal land use ends, and illegal structures are removed from council owned land reserved for streets, public open spaces and municipal purposes.
This notice has caused uproar among the targeted with many criticising the municipality for evicting people without an alternative in place.
“They have not even addressed the housing crisis in Walvis Bay but they want to evict people already,” a resident wrote on Facebook on Friday. Those living and operating from such properties said over the weekend that they are not aware of the notice, as they have not seen it.
Twaloloka resident Olga Birisamus on Sunday also told New Era that they have not seen the noticed at all.
“I don’t know anything maybe they will still notify us,” a surprise Birisamus said yesterday. She is one of the people living on municipal land since 2016, following a land grab issue due to the shortage of land and housing at the town.
Some of their shacks also burnt down in the second shack fire last year when some landless residents were assisted with food and tents as temporary shelter. Only the first fire victims were allocated houses through the prime minister’s office.
Street vendors and car washes who operate on municipality land yesterday expressed concern at the municipality’s notice saying the decision affects their only source of income.
Meanwhile, chairperson of the municipality’s management committee, Richard Hoaeb told New Era the notice was due to a previous council resolution but is currently dealt with internally.
“It is mostly for the people at the dumpsite. They are not really evicted. It is basically to inform them that they also need to start making plans but we are also currently making alternatives internally as there is no point in evicting people when there are no other alternatives,” he said.
Walvis Bay mayor Trevino Forbes said there was no way council would evict people without an alternative.
However, he said there were people occupying land needed for crucial development such as petrol stations and critical services.