Okongo council, shack dwellers clash over plots

The Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia at Okongo has accused the Okongo Village Council of failing to deliver plots to some of its paid-up members.

The matter was raised by federation member Nakale Sakaria, who says 21 members contributed funds for a land survey after being informed that payment was required before plots could be allocated.

Sakaria says the group paid a total of N$17 371, which was deposited at a Standard Bank branch at Eenhana. Sakaria says while the land was surveyed, only 15 members of the 21 were allocated plots during allocation rounds in December and January, leaving six members without plots.

He alleges that the council later denied instructing the group to pay for the surveyor, citing delays and inconsistent explanations from council officials.

Responding to the claims, Okongo council chief executive Jackson Muma says the decision for the federation to pay for the surveyor was made through mutual agreement and in good faith, adding that the federation requested to do so due to the urgency of the project and the need to re-survey an area where pegs had been removed.

Muma confirms that six members were not allocated plots during the December and January rounds due to unavailability, but says the matter has since been addressed.

“My office has received a report of six members who did not get plots, but we have already secured plots for them,” Muma says.

Providing additional context, Beauty Praise, a representative of the shack dwellers federation, confirms that the federation was aware of the situation and supported the explanation that land unavailability caused the delay.

“Yes, I know those people have paid for a land survey. They were 21 and 15 of them were given plots, while six were not allocated due to the unavailability of plots,” Praise says.

She adds that the affected members were informed to wait while the village council identified alternative plots elsewhere around the town.

Muma further clarifies that the council did not handle the survey payments, stating that the federation dealt directly with the surveyor after the council agreed to the proposal.

He says the council allocated 23 plots in August and 66 plots in November to federation members, adding that most of the allocated plots are under development. Muma says 121 plots were allocated to federation members at Okongo last year.

Despite these assurances, some federation members maintain that clearer communication was needed regarding payment arrangements and allocation timelines.

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