Campaigns in unrecognised areas

KENYA KAMBOWE

RUNDU



While many local authorities are at loggerheads with people who have settled illegally on council land, the same areas have become hotspots for campaigns by political parties who visit those areas seeking potential voters, which makes it difficult for councils to evict the illegal settlers after the ballots are cast.

With regional and local government elections taking place in two weeks' time, Namibian Sun has observed how political parties have visited areas which local authorities do not recognise.

This has played out in towns like Rundu in the Kavango East Region, which is battling with people who have grabbed land. The council is failing to address the situation amicably. Most of the residential areas in Rundu have been developed after people squatted there illegally for years and then demanded services from the council.

Currently Rundu is faced with a situation at Tumweneni informal settlement, where thousands of people have been living illegally since 2018.

Last year, Namibian Sun reported that there were about 3 700 people registered by the committee in that community, but that number has since increased significantly.

According to a committee member interviewed last week, there are close to 6 000 people currently living at Tumweneni.



Politics

Political parties campaign intensively in such areas where residents are demanding basic services. Tumweneni needs adequate water supply, proper streets, electricity and sewerage. Most political parties and civic associations represented at Rundu have campaigned at Tumweneni.

A couple of weeks ago it was reported that Swapo and the Rundu Urban Community Association (RUCA) had a heated confrontation at Tumweneni.



Not recognised

But despite all the campaigns by political parties, the Rundu town council has not recognised Tumweneni location as a residential area.

The minister of urban and rural development's representative on the Rundu town council, Sebastian Kantema, says as far as he is concerned an eviction order issued by the High Court still stands and must be executed.

“Nothing is moving around that issue,” Kantema said.

“The council is sitting back but looking into the matter. I would be lying if I said that something is happening. The thing is that there was a court interdict and the council is not the custodian of implementing the court ruling. We are still waiting for the implementers of the court ruling to do their work. The court order needs to be taken into consideration and what the obstacle is, I don't have knowledge of.

“There should be a discussion. The planners were supposed to inform the people of the new development and it is not yet finalised. We cannot just say you are evicted, evicted to where? We cannot just send people to the street.”



Resistance

Last October the district deputy sheriff, Daniel Grobbelaar, accompanied by members of the police and defence force, turned up to execute the eviction order.

The team was met by armed women and men threatening them with stones, pangas, knives and sticks, and had to retreat.

The eviction order in regard to the area known as Farm Rundu Townlands Portion 1329 was issued by the High Court on 27 June 2019. It ordered the squatters to remove their property from the illegally occupied land within 30 days.

The deputy sheriff was authorised to remove them in the event that they did not voluntarily vacate the farm. The police were authorised to assist the deputy sheriff.

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