Kandjii joins protest over arrested family

THE family and friends of the women who refused to be evicted marched to the Katutura police station yesterday in the company of Katutura Central Constituency councillor Ambrosius Kandjii, who condemned the arrest and calling for their release.

The Namibian reported yesterday about the four family members who refused to vacate a house that they claim belongs to them, despite the Windhoek municipality having auctioned it in 2007 because of accumulated debt. They were arrested on charges of contempt of court and illegal trespassing on Saturday morning and released in the afternoon on the same day on the orders of deputy mayor of Windhoek, Muesee Kazapua. Stella Hansen (37) and Desney Hansen (32) were re-arrested at three o’clock in the morning yesterday. Their two siblings Desmond Hansen (32) and Christain Hansen (26) escaped arrest. When The Namibian arrived at the Katutura police station there was a crowd of people demonstrating in support of the two arrested Hansens.Some were crying, singing and others were holding placards demanding their release.’There is no doubt, the people have spoken, the war has just begun and we are not leaving this place until the two are released,’ said one of the protesters who joined the peaceful demonstration. Kandjii told The Namibian that the Hansen eviction order was nothing new and should have been handled with the necessary circumspection. According to him, the family owed the municipality N$3 000 that accumulated to N$9 000 ‘for reasons not known’.’The house was then auctioned and sold, which led to the death of their late mother who died of stroke after she heard that her house was sold,’ he said. He also questioned the midnight arrest of the family as if they were criminals.’We are not undermining court system but the matter is critical and needs to be treated as such. We are going to remain here until the people have been released.’ Kandjii had a meeting with police officers in an attempt to solve the issue but the meeting has not borne any fruit.The group was threatened with arrest if they continued with the protest.

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