Another land grab threatened at Rehoboth

REHOBOTH residents have threatened to seize council plots by the end of this week if land is not provided to them.

‘With or without council approval, the Khaibasen Development Committee will allocate land to those people who have been uprooted by the Baster Regering from their ancestral land,’ former Swapo regional councillor Stephanus Dax said.The Rehoboth land grab threat follows a similar action by landless Keetmanshoop residents who have illegally occupied council plots at the town.The Keetmanshoop squatters have defied an eviction order and have erected shacks on the seized plots.The Rehoboth Block E landless are accusing the Rehoboth town council of ‘deliberately delaying’ the implementation of a 1999 Cabinet decision to allocate 5 500 free unserviced plots to those relocated to make room for a new township development.The 1999 Cabinet decision also directed that 2 500 of the unserviced plots be given to people who have documentary proof that they are Rehoboth Basters under the Baster ancestral laws.The Ministry of Local Government then proposed the establishment of a committee consisting of ministry, council and community representatives.Dax said during his term of office as a regional councillor 1 600 people were allocated erven, but the process stalled in 2004 following the election of new office bearers. Asked whether the pressure group had approached the town council to resolve the land issue, Dax angrily retorted: ‘All our efforts to get council to the negotiation table proved unsuccessful. They played cat and mouse with us. We’re now even prepared to go to court. That’s the one way to negotiate now.’ The council’s chief executive officer, Theo Jankowski, condemned the planned move as ‘illegal land grab and lawlessness’, and warned that the culprits will face the wrath of the law. ‘An illegal action by any community member will be dealt with in accordance of the existing laws of our country,’ said Jankowski. According to Jankowski, the lengthy process that needs to be followed in allocating erven has delayed the allotment.The issue was politicised by some leaders to score political points, and this contributed to the delay, he added. Commenting on claims by Dax that he had allocated land during his tenure, Jankowski said the way in which the land was given was ‘illegal’. ‘They (residents) got the erven but until now it is not registered in their names,’ said Jankowski. Jankowski urged people to be tolerant, saying council was in the process of lawfully allocating the land to them. ‘We’re in full control, We know the needs of our residents,’ he said. An anonymous source told The Namibian that Hardap governor Katrina Hanse-Himarwa had given her ‘full backing’ to the Khaibasen Development Committee to reclaim their lost ancestral land during a meeting with the committee leaders last week.Hanse-Himarwa denied this, saying: ‘I would never give foolish ideas to the community that may cause anarchy. ‘Rehoboth leaders must go and sort out their differences. Rehoboth is a dark spot in Hardap Region, they must clean it, instead of trying to drag me into this thing.’Both Dax and Hanse-Himarwa acknowledged that the governor had attended a community meeting, but said there was no discussion about land.