Lands Minister visits Arovlei

LANDS and Resettlement Minister Alpheus !Naruseb yesterday visited the Arovlei community south of Windhoek to acquaint himself with the residents’ fears about their future on the land.

The people, mostly pensioners, moved to the communal land from their previous home at !Oa//gaexas near the Daan Viljoen nature reserve more than a decade ago. A major concern for the community lately has been the construction of a mysterious building in their midst by a Chinese construction company on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.Enquiries by community members about the purpose of the building have remained unanswered since the start of construction in 2006.Arovlei residents say the builders’ surveying recently extended to their living areas, raising fears about possible relocation.According to unofficial reports, the building is apparently intended to serve as a munitions storage facility.!Naruseb, whose primary purpose in visiting the area was to discuss a number of disputes between residents living on various plots, also could not explain the purpose of the building yesterday.The minister promised residents that he would enquire from the Defence Ministry about the purpose of the building and the effect it would have on life at Arovlei.He promised to return to the residents with an answer shortly.Previous attempts by The Namibian to obtain comment from Government on the issue were made to Khomas Governor Sophia Shaningwa and Khomas-Rural councillor Frederick Arie – neither of whom could give an answer.Both Shaningwa and Arie accompanied the minister on his trip to Arovlei yesterday.According to residents spoken to, !Naruseb expressed disappointment with local leaders’ lack of urgency in addressing the matter, arguing that he had not been informed of the situation beforehand.A major concern for the community lately has been the construction of a mysterious building in their midst by a Chinese construction company on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.Enquiries by community members about the purpose of the building have remained unanswered since the start of construction in 2006.Arovlei residents say the builders’ surveying recently extended to their living areas, raising fears about possible relocation.According to unofficial reports, the building is apparently intended to serve as a munitions storage facility.!Naruseb, whose primary purpose in visiting the area was to discuss a number of disputes between residents living on various plots, also could not explain the purpose of the building yesterday.The minister promised residents that he would enquire from the Defence Ministry about the purpose of the building and the effect it would have on life at Arovlei.He promised to return to the residents with an answer shortly.Previous attempts by The Namibian to obtain comment from Government on the issue were made to Khomas Governor Sophia Shaningwa and Khomas-Rural councillor Frederick Arie – neither of whom could give an answer.Both Shaningwa and Arie accompanied the minister on his trip to Arovlei yesterday.According to residents spoken to, !Naruseb expressed disappointment with local leaders’ lack of urgency in addressing the matter, arguing that he had not been informed of the situation beforehand.