Soldiers among Grootfontein land grabbers

A number of Namibian Defence Force (NDF) members are among the more than 3 000 people who illegally grabbed land at the Kap-n-Bou area of Grootfontein.

Kap-n-Bou was established in 2019 when landless residents grabbed land.

NDF spokesperson colonel Petrus Shilumbu says the ministry did not send anyone to occupy the land since they are there illegally.

“The land problem is all over this country. It is affecting everybody. All the citizens are affected so the municipality should deal with that,” he adds.

NDF members, speaking to The Namibian on condition of anonymity for fear of being punished, have confirmed that they live in Kap-n-Bou because their debts prevent them from qualifying for home loans.

They say there is a scarcity of land or houses for their qualifying amounts. Most of them qualify for houses under the government subsidy for prices of up to N$900 000.

They question why the ministry cannot use the company August 26 to buy land from the local authorities and build houses for them.

Grootfontein municipality spokesperson Luke Salomo has confirmed that the municipality is aware of the water situation at Kap-n-Bou.

“From the onset the people who are residing at Kap-n-Bou have grabbed land, the land which was planned.

Council spent around a half million to peg the area which is called Extension 9.

Today the area is snatched by community activists,” he says.

He says the land grabbers are not all from the uniformed forces but also include civilians.

According to Salomo, the municipality has sold land to uniformed forces in the past but there are those who are struggling financially to buy land. “Single people are among those who can’t afford land.

Only couples can do so if they combine their income,” he says.
He urges people not to grab land that is planned for them.

“This attitude is very expensive and it takes a long time to be addressed,” he says.

WATER FIGHTS

The civil servants at Kap-n-Bou are also accused of denying local residents access to water taps which they installed.

Salomo says although the residents of Kap-n-Bou are occupying the land illegally they still have access to water, adding that most of them walk less than 500 metres to get water from the communal taps.

“As a matter of fact, they have not been paying for or buying water.

The council can no longer sustain the status quo of supplying water to some sections of the community while others are paying, it’s a sin,” he adds.

Salomo says there are programmes in place to ensure equitable water access for all residents. He adds that the municipality will be rolling out the pre-paid water meter system during August and going forward.

“This will be an extensive project to cover the whole town.

This is to ensure that even those at the periphery will have access to basic needs such as water at a low cost,” he says.

According to Salomo, the municipality will take action, and plans are under way to list all residents of Kap-n-Bou. The goal is to establish a reception area for them and organise them.

BLAME

Grootfontein community activist Johann Dewaldt blames the municipality for failing to implement policies to ensure that land is occupied in an orderly manner.

“People have been pushed by those that have applied either through the Build Together Programme or other social programmes by the ministry or other agencies.

In the absence of those implementations and public engagement, this is where people became frustrated and grabbed the land,” he says.

Community activist Ombili Katangolo accuses soldiers who benefit from government housing subsidies of denying civilians access to water taps.

He says civilians contributed funds for the installation of water pipes and taps intended to benefit the whole community.

“Such practices must stop, or else I will instruct the same community members to disconnect or even cut all pipes, taking water to Kap-n-Bou until the Grootfontein municipality formally addresses this issue,” says Katangolo.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.