NEWS - ENVIRO
| 2013-08-06Chinese contractor razes Kuku gwaKondo garden
Hileni Nembwaya
A CHINESE road contractor employees expanding the Oshakati-Ongwediva main road were yesterday involved in a verbal brawl with an elderly woman after they destroyed her garden.
The garden that belongs to Emilia Angara is named after the late Kuku gwaKondo, the mother of former President Sam Nujoma.
Angara took on the employees of China Henan International Cooperation Group Namibia that was contracted by the Road Authority (RA) to rehabilitate and expand the road accusing them of cutting down her trees without permission.
Traffic was temporarily disrupted yesterday and the police had to intervene to bring the situation back to normal.
One of the Chinese employees at the site, who preferred to be anonymous, said they were granted permission to remove the garden by the owner and that she was paid about N$300 000 by RA.
“We were told by her to cut down the trees,” the employee said but Angala dismissed the compensation claims.
“I was not paid anything by RA but they promised they will compensate me,” said Angala.
“How could they cut down my trees without my consent and now they have destroyed the trees which meant a lot to me. RA promised to consult me before they cut down my trees and that they will compensate me,” Angala said.
Angala said that some of her poles were also destroyed and that the police tried to arrest her when she came to the scene after receiving a tip off from members of the public.
Angala claims that she signed an agreement with the RA chief executive officer, Conrad Lutombi, on Friday in Oshakati pertaining to compensation for the dismantled portion of the garden.
The RA spokesperson, Hileni Fillemon, could not shed more light on the matter saying a press conference would be held today.
The Ongwediva Town Council spokesperson, Andreas Uutoni, said they were not involved in negotiations between Angala and RA and do not know whether she had been compensated or not.
Last month, it was reported that Angala was offered N$3 000 by the Chinese contractor but she rejected the offer.
The garden had about 380 lucerne trees. She was demanding to be paid N$10 000 for each non-fruit bearing tree and N$15 000 for the fruit trees.
The garden that belongs to Emilia Angara is named after the late Kuku gwaKondo, the mother of former President Sam Nujoma.
Angara took on the employees of China Henan International Cooperation Group Namibia that was contracted by the Road Authority (RA) to rehabilitate and expand the road accusing them of cutting down her trees without permission.
Traffic was temporarily disrupted yesterday and the police had to intervene to bring the situation back to normal.
One of the Chinese employees at the site, who preferred to be anonymous, said they were granted permission to remove the garden by the owner and that she was paid about N$300 000 by RA.
“We were told by her to cut down the trees,” the employee said but Angala dismissed the compensation claims.
“I was not paid anything by RA but they promised they will compensate me,” said Angala.
“How could they cut down my trees without my consent and now they have destroyed the trees which meant a lot to me. RA promised to consult me before they cut down my trees and that they will compensate me,” Angala said.
Angala said that some of her poles were also destroyed and that the police tried to arrest her when she came to the scene after receiving a tip off from members of the public.
Angala claims that she signed an agreement with the RA chief executive officer, Conrad Lutombi, on Friday in Oshakati pertaining to compensation for the dismantled portion of the garden.
The RA spokesperson, Hileni Fillemon, could not shed more light on the matter saying a press conference would be held today.
The Ongwediva Town Council spokesperson, Andreas Uutoni, said they were not involved in negotiations between Angala and RA and do not know whether she had been compensated or not.
Last month, it was reported that Angala was offered N$3 000 by the Chinese contractor but she rejected the offer.
The garden had about 380 lucerne trees. She was demanding to be paid N$10 000 for each non-fruit bearing tree and N$15 000 for the fruit trees.
