‘We cry ourselves to sleep every night’
Family evicted, living under neighbour’s tree
After offering a friend's son a place to stay, an 83-year-old grandmother was reportedly evicted after he sold the land out from under them.
Five months after Magaritta Ihemba (83) was evicted from her home of more than 50 years along with her children and grandchildren in Rundu’s Kehemu settlement, her daughter Victoria Sikundo (39) says she’s been crying herself to sleep every night.
Ihemba’s family lost their home after a friend’s son Ndavoka Deneshi allegedly secretly sold the house and land to another family in 2009.
According to her, she gave Deneshi a place to stay in 2002 and after he built a brick house on the portion of land she offered him, he sold it.
“Despite seeking for clarification from the [Rundu] town council, we were told despite our makeshift structures, the land was given to the one with a permanent structure. We received an eviction notice served by the new owner, but we refused to move. A few months later, workers from the council came threatening to remove our belongings with a bulldozer. They told us that we are poor because of the structures our rooms were made of and that we needed to leave,” Sikundo said.
Evicted ‘like dogs’
She narrated to Namibian Sun that they were evicted "like dogs", with council workers throwing their belongings from what used to be their home.
“On 15 November last year, the town council sent more people who came with a truck, ordering us to load our belongings so that they move us to a new plot they gave us. We refused to move to the new plot and that’s when these people started taking our rooms apart. They callously threw our belongings and materials into our neighbour’s yard, treating us like dogs,” she said.
“Since that day, we slept under a tree in our neighbour’s yard. After a few days, when word got out about our situation, we received assistance from concerned members of the public, including the office of the governor, who donated a tent. Right now, we are still living in our neighbour’s yard, sleeping in tents - all 21 of us, including nine children who go to school,” Sikundo said.
“We’ve also had people trying to assist us to accumulate money for legal aid to help us battle this issue. The tents are not quite ideal for us, especially during the rainy season. Life’s not fair. We have been struggling to get jobs for years now. Sometimes I question whether this life is worth living. Some nights I find myself grappling with suicidal thoughts, contemplating ending not just my life but those of my children to escape this overwhelming pain and despair,” she said.
‘Weak, whining wimps’
Many have since criticised the Rundu town council’s decision to evict Ihemba and her family from their home, with Landless People’s Movement (LPM) leader Bernadus Swartbooi describing the councillors as “weak, whining wimps”.
“They have no capacity to fight a good fight to get what the town of Rundu deserves. Is it because they’re so weak [that] they are picking on an 83-year-old ouma? Young men elected who have the strength to remove an 83-year-old ouma [from her home]. Shame on them.
“What type of people have been elected here? Are they really human beings who have logic and sense? Even [Kavango East governor Bonifatius] Wakudumo who goes around screaming everywhere, after a whole 83-year-old woman was evicted from her home and put under a tree, he could only intervene with a tent,” Swartbooi fumed.
Last year, Rundu town council CEO Olavi Nathanael told New Era that a certain Agnes Kwenani Sitamulaho bought the property from the council in 2012 and the deed of sale was signed.
According to him, payments were made and the transfer was effected to the current occupant of the land. The council only came to learn about the dispute between the two parties after the property was already sold, he said.
Council subsequently identified an erf for the family to be relocated to.
‘I sold my portion’
Meanwhile, according to Deneshi, he only sold the portion of land he was offered.
"In 2009, I sold my portion where I had been building ever since I moved there in 2003. I moved out and the [new] owner moved in with her family. Both families [had] been living together, up to 2021.
“After the land was surveyed and the portions were identified as one, the [new] owner - with the assistance of her lawyer - changed the name of the plot to her name,” he said.
“Since she now has plans to move to Katima Mulilo and needs money, she decided to evict [Ihemba’s] family, since the portion I sold her is too small. I tried offering her a refund so she could leave for the other family to return to their home, but she refused.”
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Ihemba’s family lost their home after a friend’s son Ndavoka Deneshi allegedly secretly sold the house and land to another family in 2009.
According to her, she gave Deneshi a place to stay in 2002 and after he built a brick house on the portion of land she offered him, he sold it.
“Despite seeking for clarification from the [Rundu] town council, we were told despite our makeshift structures, the land was given to the one with a permanent structure. We received an eviction notice served by the new owner, but we refused to move. A few months later, workers from the council came threatening to remove our belongings with a bulldozer. They told us that we are poor because of the structures our rooms were made of and that we needed to leave,” Sikundo said.
Evicted ‘like dogs’
She narrated to Namibian Sun that they were evicted "like dogs", with council workers throwing their belongings from what used to be their home.
“On 15 November last year, the town council sent more people who came with a truck, ordering us to load our belongings so that they move us to a new plot they gave us. We refused to move to the new plot and that’s when these people started taking our rooms apart. They callously threw our belongings and materials into our neighbour’s yard, treating us like dogs,” she said.
“Since that day, we slept under a tree in our neighbour’s yard. After a few days, when word got out about our situation, we received assistance from concerned members of the public, including the office of the governor, who donated a tent. Right now, we are still living in our neighbour’s yard, sleeping in tents - all 21 of us, including nine children who go to school,” Sikundo said.
“We’ve also had people trying to assist us to accumulate money for legal aid to help us battle this issue. The tents are not quite ideal for us, especially during the rainy season. Life’s not fair. We have been struggling to get jobs for years now. Sometimes I question whether this life is worth living. Some nights I find myself grappling with suicidal thoughts, contemplating ending not just my life but those of my children to escape this overwhelming pain and despair,” she said.
‘Weak, whining wimps’
Many have since criticised the Rundu town council’s decision to evict Ihemba and her family from their home, with Landless People’s Movement (LPM) leader Bernadus Swartbooi describing the councillors as “weak, whining wimps”.
“They have no capacity to fight a good fight to get what the town of Rundu deserves. Is it because they’re so weak [that] they are picking on an 83-year-old ouma? Young men elected who have the strength to remove an 83-year-old ouma [from her home]. Shame on them.
“What type of people have been elected here? Are they really human beings who have logic and sense? Even [Kavango East governor Bonifatius] Wakudumo who goes around screaming everywhere, after a whole 83-year-old woman was evicted from her home and put under a tree, he could only intervene with a tent,” Swartbooi fumed.
Last year, Rundu town council CEO Olavi Nathanael told New Era that a certain Agnes Kwenani Sitamulaho bought the property from the council in 2012 and the deed of sale was signed.
According to him, payments were made and the transfer was effected to the current occupant of the land. The council only came to learn about the dispute between the two parties after the property was already sold, he said.
Council subsequently identified an erf for the family to be relocated to.
‘I sold my portion’
Meanwhile, according to Deneshi, he only sold the portion of land he was offered.
"In 2009, I sold my portion where I had been building ever since I moved there in 2003. I moved out and the [new] owner moved in with her family. Both families [had] been living together, up to 2021.
“After the land was surveyed and the portions were identified as one, the [new] owner - with the assistance of her lawyer - changed the name of the plot to her name,” he said.
“Since she now has plans to move to Katima Mulilo and needs money, she decided to evict [Ihemba’s] family, since the portion I sold her is too small. I tried offering her a refund so she could leave for the other family to return to their home, but she refused.”
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