City wants stiffer encroachment fines

WINDHOEK City Councillors want higher penalties for property encroachment in the municipal area after increased offences have been noticed.

Councillor Nico Smit of the Republican Party said he was dissatisfied with the pace at which encroachment activities were increasing. “The penalty is only N$2 000 and is too lenient and offenders happily pay this low fine and continue new acts of encroachment,” he told fellow councillors at the monthly City Council meeting last week.Encroachment occurs when builders wittingly or unwittingly construct boundary walls beyond the pegged plot boundaries, thus encroaching on the property of a neighbour – or, worse, on undeveloped land, thus enlarging their property for a mere N$2 000 fee.The culprits are not only developers or house owners but also building inspectors who do not carry out their inspections thoroughly.Councillor Werner Claasen of the United Democratic Front (UDF) proposed a policy change before the situation gets out of hand.”It seems like some people are doing this and pay the peanut penalty and get away with what they did,” he said.The Chief Executive Officer of the Windhoek municipality, Niilo Taapopi, argued that the penalties varied depending on the degree of encroachment.”There are those who do it because they feel that they have money and can afford the penalty but it is calculated on merit and the period,” he said.For example, one property owner in Dorado Park has been encroaching on part of an adjacent erf since August 2006 and must now pay an occupational rental fee of N$29 366 dating back to that date.Councillors agreed that the existing Local Authority Act, an amendment to which is to be tabled in Parliament in due course, should also be amended to increase the encroachment penalties.Meanwhile, Windhoek Mayor Matheus Shikongo says Namibia’s economy is not growing fast enough to bring about relief from poverty and unemployment in the country.”The penalty is only N$2 000 and is too lenient and offenders happily pay this low fine and continue new acts of encroachment,” he told fellow councillors at the monthly City Council meeting last week.Encroachment occurs when builders wittingly or unwittingly construct boundary walls beyond the pegged plot boundaries, thus encroaching on the property of a neighbour – or, worse, on undeveloped land, thus enlarging their property for a mere N$2 000 fee.The culprits are not only developers or house owners but also building inspectors who do not carry out their inspections thoroughly.Councillor Werner Claasen of the United Democratic Front (UDF) proposed a policy change before the situation gets out of hand.”It seems like some people are doing this and pay the peanut penalty and get away with what they did,” he said.The Chief Executive Officer of the Windhoek municipality, Niilo Taapopi, argued that the penalties varied depending on the degree of encroachment.”There are those who do it because they feel that they have money and can afford the penalty but it is calculated on merit and the period,” he said.For example, one property owner in Dorado Park has been encroaching on part of an adjacent erf since August 2006 and must now pay an occupational rental fee of N$29 366 dating back to that date.Councillors agreed that the existing Local Authority Act, an amendment to which is to be tabled in Parliament in due course, should also be amended to increase the encroachment penalties.Meanwhile, Windhoek Mayor Matheus Shikongo says Namibia’s economy is not growing fast enough to bring about relief from poverty and unemployment in the country.