Katima recalls the day the graders came

RESIDENTS of New Cowboy, Dairy and Lwanyanda saw the demolition of their houses at Katima Mulilo last week, and are likely to forever remember the day when the graders came to flatten what used to be their only known homes.

The Katima Mulilo Town Council sent graders to Lwanyanda compound just outside the Zambezi region’s town to destroy houses, some of which were brick structures.

Two other compounds – New Cowboy and Dairy – were not spared either when the graders came on Thursday.

If the town council is not stopped, Macaravan West and Macaravan East could also fall.

More than 2 600 families were left with nothing but the blue skies as the roof over their heads.

With the imminent rainy season, and Katima Mulilo expected to receive good rains, the affected families should brace for the worst.

Thursday’s action by the town council gave new meaning to how a grader can be used since most residents, until Thursday, had seen the machines at construction sites where buildings went up, and not down.

And indeed, the residents remember the day the graders came. They also recall how they tried to stop the graders, but the police came out with guns blazing.

In the process, Christopher Simasiku was shot and injured in the leg.

The shooting stopped those who wanted to resist. They then stood back, watching as the graders effortlessly demolished their houses.

Obrean Matongo and his wife, Maria Kalundu, lost a two-bedroom brick house, and recalled Thursday’s events.

Matongo was in Lusaka, Zambia when Kalundu called him when the graders came.

“My wife told me that the town council was demolishing our house. The house was locked, but they entered by force, took out furniture and a safe that had money,” he explained.

Matongo claimed that he spent about N$500 000 on the house “if you add everything, including the land we serviced, and the building materials”.

“That was my hard-earned money which they just demolished like that. It was my family’s house,” he noted, adding that he wants to see justice done, especially since the council did not send eviction letters.

“I will not rest until I see justice done because this is inhumane. In an independent Namibia, we cannot be treated like this. Our forefathers fought for this land for us to have a place to stay. However, our houses are now destroyed, yet they provide land to the Chinese people.

“I do not know who instructed this chief executive officer, Raphael Liswaniso, appointed yesterday, to do this to us! I will not rest until justice is done,” he stressed.

Another resident of New Cowboy, Juliet Makata (30), also stood by watching, and said she and her three sisters, including Mundia, who is living with disabilities, now sleep next to their belongings.

The unemployed mother of two daughters said they are already poor, and then council sent graders to rob them of their only home.

“Our house is the only permanent thing we had. As you can see, my sister is disabled. She receives a grant from the government. I can tell you today that the N$1 200 she gets is our only income.

“Since our house was destroyed, my mother is running around looking for money so that we can get a place to rent before the rains come,” she added.

Fortunately for Loveness Sitoyo (35), who also lives with a disability, a kind neighbour took her in when the graders had finished demolishing her mud hut.

Sitoyo said the government is supposed to protect the poor, instead of doing nothing when they are thrown back onto the streets.

“I have no house anymore. They destroyed it all. I do not feel well; I feel helpless. I cannot walk, and it is not safe for me to be on the streets,” she stated.The graders also left John Mutalife (43), who spent 13 years in jail, back at square one.

Mutalife, who is now a security guard, hoped that he would have somewhere to start by owning a house at Katima Mulilo.

He says when he was released, all he wanted was to provide a home for his family.

“At least for two years, I breathed easily as my salary covered the basics without worrying about rent,” he noted.

Simasiku, who was also arrested after being shot, said the police are not for the poor.

He accused the police of forcing them to sign eviction letters, and threatening to arrest them without any valid reasons.

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