Poor residents team up against Mbok

A GROUP of Katutura residents have teamed up to recover their money from the owner of Dignity Housing Initiative, to whom they paid deposits on low-cost houses that never materialised.

Representatives of the people told The Namibian that they would hold a public meeting on Sunday to discuss the road ahead. “I cancelled my contract two months ago but have not received my refund.Many others face the same problem and we will meet to discuss the road ahead on Sunday,” one of the aggrieved Katutura residents said.The meeting will be held at the former office of Dignity Housing Initiative in Independence Avenue at 13h00.The offices were situated next to Computerland.The organisers expect around 400 Katutura residents to attend the meeting and called on them to bring copies of their contracts and receipts as proof that they “suffered in the deal”.The owner of Dignity Housing, Antoine ‘Tony’ Mbok, told The Namibian last week that he had started refunding some of the clients who had dealt directly with his company.The residents paid around N$5 250 each as deposits on low-cost houses they were promised, but the project fell through.Mbok said his company would not refund those clients who applied for the houses through estate agents such as Helena Mandevhu and Pam Golding, because he had not received the money from these agents.He is involved in a legal tussle with the estate agents, challenging them to prove that he received the money from them.While Mbok is fighting off the residents and the agents, the rights to use the Moladi Building System, which he wanted to employ, have been sold to another Namibian company by its owner.Mbok said last week that the sale was a breach of an exclusive rights contract between him and the owner and he would lodge a High Court application against the new company.He said Dignity Housing Initiative would claim N$149 033 from Moladi for expenses incurred while working on the deal.The Dignity Housing Initiative was launched more than a year ago when Mbok declared that his project would construct affordable houses in Nubuamis (Windhoek) for people earning between N$800 and N$7 000 per month.The company had acquired 450 000 square metres of land.The City of Windhoek has, in the meantime, announced steps to take back the land.Companies named by Mbok as partners in the development have distanced themselves from the project.”I cancelled my contract two months ago but have not received my refund.Many others face the same problem and we will meet to discuss the road ahead on Sunday,” one of the aggrieved Katutura residents said.The meeting will be held at the former office of Dignity Housing Initiative in Independence Avenue at 13h00.The offices were situated next to Computerland.The organisers expect around 400 Katutura residents to attend the meeting and called on them to bring copies of their contracts and receipts as proof that they “suffered in the deal”.The owner of Dignity Housing, Antoine ‘Tony’ Mbok, told The Namibian last week that he had started refunding some of the clients who had dealt directly with his company.The residents paid around N$5 250 each as deposits on low-cost houses they were promised, but the project fell through.Mbok said his company would not refund those clients who applied for the houses through estate agents such as Helena Mandevhu and Pam Golding, because he had not received the money from these agents.He is involved in a legal tussle with the estate agents, challenging them to prove that he received the money from them.While Mbok is fighting off the residents and the agents, the rights to use the Moladi Building System, which he wanted to employ, have been sold to another Namibian company by its owner.Mbok said last week that the sale was a breach of an exclusive rights contract between him and the owner and he would lodge a High Court application against the new company.He said Dignity Housing Initiative would claim N$149 033 from Moladi for expenses incurred while working on the deal.The Dignity Housing Initiative was launched more than a year ago when Mbok declared that his project would construct affordable houses in Nubuamis (Windhoek) for people earning between N$800 and N$7 000 per month.The company had acquired 450 000 square metres of land.The City of Windhoek has, in the meantime, announced steps to take back the land.Companies named by Mbok as partners in the development have distanced themselves from the project.