Former Mayor, Ondangwa Town Council in row over orphanage

THE former Mayor of Ondangwa, Otto Kapia, is fighting the Ondangwa Town Council for blocking an orphanage he wants to build in the town by forcing him to sign an application agreement that is not clear.

Kapia told The Namibian that he would not sign the document without major changes because it would bind him to pay for all services for the orphanage, which is a non-profit organisation. Kapia said the orphanage already has registered 320 orphans, 78 people who are living with HIV-AIDS and 26 AIDS orphans.According to Kapia, the Ondangwa Town Council, especially its Chief Executive Officer Funneka Shigwedha, wants him to pay N$520 000 for the 1,5 hectares of land.Kapia accused the CEO of “incompetence, lack of vision and having a hidden agenda” on the project.”All they are going to pay for is for water use and electricity,” Shigwedha told The Namibian.Within a few hours of that statement, however, Kapia received a letter from Shigwedha saying he wanted Kapia to pay N$520 000 for the land or to lease the land for N$526,35 a year.Kapia has already started laying the foundations for the orphanage on the land.Shigwedha said he was happy that the building had started when he visited the site with The Namibian.But he said it is important that Kapia sign a memorandum of understanding on the land so it could be registered under the name of the Peter Eneas Nanyemba Children Organisation.Within hours of visiting the land, however, Kapia received the letter from the CEO which stated: “Any building erected…without Council’s approval is regarded as illegal construction.Council is humbly requesting you to stop constructing that building with immediate effect.”Kapia said he and this non-profit association would be forced to pay for all Council services because of the way the memorandum of understanding is currently written.Kapia said having to pay N$520 000 would be totally unfair and unacceptable to him and the association.The former mayor of Ondangwa also complained that the Town Council has billed him for water for that site for the past two months while there are no water connections on the land.Shigwedha said the water bills issued to Kapia were done accidentally.He said he would advise Kapia to come to the Council so the mistake can be rectified.Kapia said he would ask that the application agreement be amended before signing it.He added that any discussion between him and Shigwedha would have to be done in the presence of the King of Ondonga, Immanuel Kauluma Elifas, who is the patron of the Peter Eneas Nanyemba Children Organisation, and the Governor of Oshana, Klemens Kashuupulwa.Kapia showed The Namibian a letter he planned to send to Shigwedha in which he would agree to an annual rent of N$526,35 if he could receive a lease for 90 years on the land.He calculated this would be N$43,86 per month.”If this is accepted by the Council, then it would solve the problem,” he said.Kapia told The Namibian that the orphanage is a community project and many donors have already given money and building materials.Kapia said the orphanage already has registered 320 orphans, 78 people who are living with HIV-AIDS and 26 AIDS orphans.According to Kapia, the Ondangwa Town Council, especially its Chief Executive Officer Funneka Shigwedha, wants him to pay N$520 000 for the 1,5 hectares of land.Kapia accused the CEO of “incompetence, lack of vision and having a hidden agenda” on the project.”All they are going to pay for is for water use and electricity,” Shigwedha told The Namibian.Within a few hours of that statement, however, Kapia received a letter from Shigwedha saying he wanted Kapia to pay N$520 000 for the land or to lease the land for N$526,35 a year.Kapia has already started laying the foundations for the orphanage on the land.Shigwedha said he was happy that the building had started when he visited the site with The Namibian.But he said it is important that Kapia sign a memorandum of understanding on the land so it could be registered under the name of the Peter Eneas Nanyemba Children Organisation.Within hours of visiting the land, however, Kapia received the letter from the CEO which stated: “Any building erected…without Council’s approval is regarded as illegal construction.Council is humbly requesting you to stop constructing that building with immediate effect.”Kapia said he and this non-profit association would be forced to pay for all Council services because of the way the memorandum of understanding is currently written.Kapia said having to pay N$520 000 would be totally unfair and unacceptable to him and the association.The former mayor of Ondangwa also complained that the Town Council has billed him for water for that site for the past two months while there are no water connections on the land. Shigwedha said the water bills issued to Kapia were done accidentally.He said he would advise Kapia to come to the Council so the mistake can be rectified.Kapia said he would ask that the application agreement be amended before signing it.He added that any discussion between him and Shigwedha would have to be done in the presence of the King of Ondonga, Immanuel Kauluma Elifas, who is the patron of the Peter Eneas Nanyemba Children Organisation, and the Governor of Oshana, Klemens Kashuupulwa.Kapia showed The Namibian a letter he planned to send to Shigwedha in which he would agree to an annual rent of N$526,35 if he could receive a lease for 90 years on the land.He calculated this would be N$43,86 per month.”If this is accepted by the Council, then it would solve the problem,” he said.Kapia told The Namibian that the orphanage is a community project and many donors have already given money and building materials.