Arovlei makes its peace with ‘mystery’ building

THE Arovlei community living next to the Oamites army base have made peace with the idea of a large, unexplained military building being erected in their midst.

Deon Gawanab, spokesperson for the /Khomanin Traditional Authority, said on Monday that the community was satisfied with a Government explanation that the development next to their homes would not force them out of the area.’They’ve told us that they’re not going to expand and that they’re only going to be building upwards from here on in,’ Gawanab told The Namibian.Gawanab said Government explained to the villagers that the Chinese-constructed building will be used as a storage facility for the military base.Villager Josef Gawanab, whose grazing land is encroached by the building, has been promised an extra piece of land on the other side, Gawanab said.Most of Arovlei’s residents are pensioners who moved to the area from their previous homes at !Oa//gaexas near the Daan Viljoen nature reserve in the mid-1990s.Since 2006 when construction began on the military building, they have demanded answers from Government on what this meant for their future on the land.The Namibian’s enquiries about the purpose of the building led to a dead end last year.Spokespersons for the ministry could not be reached for comment earlier this week.