IF PLANS by the Affirmative Repositioning movement go ahead, about 5 000 youths drawn from all the 14 regions of Namibia will meet in Windhoek to demonstrate against the proposed new parliament building.
One of the founders of the movement, Job Amupanda, told the media yesterday that the mass demonstration against the N$2,2 billion building is scheduled to take place on 16 June.
Amupanda said the youth will hand over a petition to Speaker of Parliament Peter Katjavivi on the day.
The movement said the N$2,2 billion planned for the new parliament must be used for servicing land because according to their calculations, the amount can service 25 000 plots.
While emphasising that the mass demonstration to parliament will be a peaceful one, Amupanda said there is nothing to be scared about, but rather a way of highlighting priority over non-priority.
“What we are saying is, let us divert the N$2,2 billion meant for the new parliament building that will benefit 200 people, and use the money to service 25 000 plots for the landless,” he stated.
He further said these 25 000 plots could be added to the 26 000 promised over four years under the Harambee plan.
“Priority should be given to the 25 000 plots over a new parliament building,” he said, further suggesting that the parliament building can be build in the year 2030.
According to Amupanda, 26 000 Harambee plan plots are a minimalistic target which can be exceed, adding that it is up to Namibians to make sure that the 26 000 plots are exceeded.
“If we add the 25 000 plots to the 26 000 Harambee plots, we have 51 000,” he stated.
Another AR leader, Dimbulukeni Nauyoma, said the planned mass demonstration under the theme ‘Towards 25 000 Plots ‘ is already worked out, and a national coordination team has been established.
Nauyoma said a draft on implementing mass urban land servicing will be tabled before an implementation planning workshop in Windhoek on 6 May.
The activists also announced that the outcomes from the Harambee plan meeting reaffirmed the centrality and logic of the Massive Urban Land Servicing Programme, as agreed to on 24 July 2015.
“There is no disagreement or whatsoever on this matter. It is for this reason that the programme is on a register of the National Planning Commission. It is the guiding framework for all the efforts,” he said.
According to AR, the pre-allocation of land, which is provided for on page 42 of the Harambee plan, will now become more important and central towards the delivery of the 200 000 plots.
