Gobabis residents have vowed to stop the sale of 100 unserviced residential plots to Mbatjiua Construction CC, arguing that local people should be given first preference before private developers.
The opposition follows the Gobabis municipality’s public notice advertising the sale of more than 13.4 hectares of land in Extension 6 for over N$8.8 million.
Residents have until 10 August to lodge written objections.
Municipality spokesperson Frederick Ueitele says the council opted for a private treaty because it lacks the financial capacity to service the land itself.
He says Mbatjiua Construction was selected due to its experience in housing development at Gobabis.
The plots, measuring between 1 200 and more than 2 000 square metres, are priced at N$62 per square metre.
Community activist Jeraldo Eiseb accuses the council of sidelining residents who have waited for land for a long time.
“When we applied, we were told there was no land available, but now 100 residential erven have been sold,” he says.
Eiseb says residents are collecting signatures through a petition and plan to hold a public meeting followed by a demonstration.
“We must block this thing or we will be left homeless and our children will be on the streets,” he says.
According to Eiseb, four of the seven councillors voted in favour of the sale, while three opposed it.
He argues that developers ultimately benefit more than residents by subdividing land into smaller plots and selling houses at prices many locals cannot afford.
“We don’t care whether the land is serviced or unserviced. People are willing to pay from their own pockets as long as they are given land,” he says.
Gobabis councillor Wynand Lukas also criticises the transaction, confirming that a petition and formal objections are being prepared.
“The Right to Shelter Foundation of Namibia stands on the principle that residents must receive first priority before developers.
This developer has benefited several times already, which is questionable,” Lukas says.
He dismisses suggestions that the objections were directed at Mbatjiua personally, saying councillors are accountable to residents first.
The organisation, which holds three seats on the council, questions why the same developer had been allocated projects in three different neighbourhoods.
It claims a proposed sale of land worth more than N$4.9 million to the Namibia Training Authority was never discussed by the council either.
It further criticises the municipality for publishing objections only in newspapers, arguing that many residents will not be aware of the process.
Mbatjiua Construction owner Blacky Tjingaete has rejected the criticism, saying other private companies had previously received municipal land without facing similar opposition.
“Why, when it’s me, it’s a problem?” he asks.
Tjingaete says the development is intended to provide affordable housing opportunities for low-income residents struggling to access land.
