Erongo governor Natalia /Goagoses has denied allegations that her office failed to act on disputed housing allocations involving victims of the July 2020 Twaloloka fire at Walvis Bay.
This follows an affidavit and complaint submitted by Andemale Shikongo, who claims some victims of the fire were sidelined while houses at Otweya were allegedly allocated to people who did not qualify.
In a letter addressed to prime minister Elijah Ngurare, urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa and other authorities, Shikongo accuses the governor’s office of failing to correct alleged irregularities in the allocation process.
“The delivery of this affidavit is necessitated by the continuous wrongdoing, silence and failure to decisively act by the office of the Erongo region governor to effect rectification of its unlawful action in allocation of Otweya houses belonging to the 26 July 2020 Twaloloka location fire victims,” the letter reads.
Shikongo further alleges that some beneficiaries did not lose property in the fire.
“We remain homeless to date after our shacks were destroyed by fire while houses are allocated to individuals who either had girlfriends in the
Otweya committee and a few that never lost even a shack on that fateful day,” he says.
He calls on the ministry to institute a “high-level inquiry” into the matter.
The affidavit alleges that extra houses were built for affected victims after a request by the former governor to the then minister of urban and rural development, but claims some names were later removed from the list.
However, /Goagoses has rejected claims that she ignored the matter and says she intervened after taking office last year.
/Goagoses says the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, the Walvis Bay municipality and the National Housing Enterprise were all brought into discussions with the complainants.
“The matter is in the hands of the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development,” she says.
She adds that deputy minister Evelyn !Nawases-Taeyele and ministry officials have attended meetings in her office, together with municipal officials and affected residents.
“The whole process was explained to them. Now me, Natalia now, this is not the guilty party,” she says.
/Goagoses also says there were “many irregularities” surrounding the matter and alleges that some illegal occupants had moved into houses meant for fire victims.
“The government has done its part. A second round of assistance was given.
Again, the illegal people, I’m told, moved into the house,” she says.
The governor says the matter has reached the courts and that verification processes are ongoing with the attorney general’s office.
“If I’m really guilty, let them take me to task,” she says.
/Goagoses further accuses some individuals of trying to tarnish her name.
“I don’t want my name to be tarnished. I have done my part,” she says.
The housing dispute stems from the aftermath of the Twaloloka fire, which destroyed hundreds of homes at Walvis Bay in July 2020, leaving many residents displaced.
