Opuwo residents seek promised compensation
'The residents were occupying council land illegally.'
Hundreds of Opuwo residents relocated from Ouranda informal settlement to Katutura Extension 2 in 2019 continue to wait for compensation from the government.
The town’s CEO, Matjandara Tjihuura-Katurota, said a meeting will soon be held with the affected residents to determine who qualifies for the payout and who does not.
During a recent visit to Opuwo, residents of Katutura Extension 2 who spoke to Namibian Sun expressed deep disappointment with the local authority’s failure to compensate them over the past six years.
The affected group has made serious allegations against the local authority, claiming that some council members are manipulating the process in order to benefit from the funds meant for those who lost their homes and assets.
In addition to the lack of compensation, several residents complained about being asked to pay for plots at Katutura Extension 2 from their expected payouts, despite holding letters stating that the land was donated to them.
Donated land
Namibian Sun has seen one such letter, issued to Paula Tuwilika Henghono and signed by former Opuwo CEO Petrus Sheya, informing her that she had been relocated from Ouranda to Katutura Extension 2 and that the land was donated to her.
However, in a letter dated 19 August, Tjihuura-Katurota wrote to Henghono stating that the land she received was valued at N$19 851 — an amount higher than the compensation due to her, which stood at N$16 753.
This means Henghono is required to pay the council N$3 000 for land she initially believed had been donated.
In her written response to Namibian Sun, Tjihuura-Katurota said there was no council resolution authorising the donation of land to those relocated from Ouranda.
“With regard to the donation of land, I saw the letters but those letters were allocated in 2021 and they do not have a resolution or a date referred to when the council has made that decision. So according to me those letters are null and void. In terms of the Local Authorities Act 23 of 1992, section 30(1)(t), land must be allocated by council subject to ministerial approval, and I have never come across such a resolution or ministerial approval since I assumed office in August 2023,” she explained.
Verification
The affected group has also written to the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Sankwasa James Sankwasa, on 29 August, calling for his intervention.
Meanwhile, Tjihuura-Katurota said the total compensation earmarked for the affected group amounts to about N$9.8 million, of which only N$3.4 million has so far been received.
She further stated that she has a duty to ensure that taxpayers’ money is used appropriately, hence the current rigorous process to verify those entitled to compensation.
“As the accounting officer responsible for public funds, I have duties to protect the ratepayers’ money. The Katutura Extension 2 residents were relocated from Ouranda to pave the way for development,” she explained.
“The residents were occupying council land illegally. Those relocated to Katutura were given fully serviced erven, with water, electricity and sanitation. The land they occupied at Ouranda was unserviced and it was not their land. At the expense of other applicants, they were given the opportunity to own land legally. So, when relocating people, the law requires that they be fairly compensated.”
“Therefore, their structures were evaluated with the assistance of the Ministry of Land and Resettlement. The structures were assessed, and the list of beneficiaries was submitted to the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development to request compensation funds.”
“The list of compensation beneficiaries amounts to N$9.8 million, and in 2024, the council received N$3.4 million. Therefore, there was a need to prioritise, and the council resolved to allocate the funds as follows: some residents refused to relocate and therefore do not qualify for compensation. Their property was never affected, and neither were their lives. The first priority for compensation will be those whose structures were in the middle of the roads, and the second priority will be the residents who relocated to Katutura Extension 2.
“However, among these residents, some were already compensated — some with cash, others with constructed houses, and some were given materials.”
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The town’s CEO, Matjandara Tjihuura-Katurota, said a meeting will soon be held with the affected residents to determine who qualifies for the payout and who does not.
During a recent visit to Opuwo, residents of Katutura Extension 2 who spoke to Namibian Sun expressed deep disappointment with the local authority’s failure to compensate them over the past six years.
The affected group has made serious allegations against the local authority, claiming that some council members are manipulating the process in order to benefit from the funds meant for those who lost their homes and assets.
In addition to the lack of compensation, several residents complained about being asked to pay for plots at Katutura Extension 2 from their expected payouts, despite holding letters stating that the land was donated to them.
Donated land
Namibian Sun has seen one such letter, issued to Paula Tuwilika Henghono and signed by former Opuwo CEO Petrus Sheya, informing her that she had been relocated from Ouranda to Katutura Extension 2 and that the land was donated to her.
However, in a letter dated 19 August, Tjihuura-Katurota wrote to Henghono stating that the land she received was valued at N$19 851 — an amount higher than the compensation due to her, which stood at N$16 753.
This means Henghono is required to pay the council N$3 000 for land she initially believed had been donated.
In her written response to Namibian Sun, Tjihuura-Katurota said there was no council resolution authorising the donation of land to those relocated from Ouranda.
“With regard to the donation of land, I saw the letters but those letters were allocated in 2021 and they do not have a resolution or a date referred to when the council has made that decision. So according to me those letters are null and void. In terms of the Local Authorities Act 23 of 1992, section 30(1)(t), land must be allocated by council subject to ministerial approval, and I have never come across such a resolution or ministerial approval since I assumed office in August 2023,” she explained.
Verification
The affected group has also written to the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Sankwasa James Sankwasa, on 29 August, calling for his intervention.
Meanwhile, Tjihuura-Katurota said the total compensation earmarked for the affected group amounts to about N$9.8 million, of which only N$3.4 million has so far been received.
She further stated that she has a duty to ensure that taxpayers’ money is used appropriately, hence the current rigorous process to verify those entitled to compensation.
“As the accounting officer responsible for public funds, I have duties to protect the ratepayers’ money. The Katutura Extension 2 residents were relocated from Ouranda to pave the way for development,” she explained.
“The residents were occupying council land illegally. Those relocated to Katutura were given fully serviced erven, with water, electricity and sanitation. The land they occupied at Ouranda was unserviced and it was not their land. At the expense of other applicants, they were given the opportunity to own land legally. So, when relocating people, the law requires that they be fairly compensated.”
“Therefore, their structures were evaluated with the assistance of the Ministry of Land and Resettlement. The structures were assessed, and the list of beneficiaries was submitted to the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development to request compensation funds.”
“The list of compensation beneficiaries amounts to N$9.8 million, and in 2024, the council received N$3.4 million. Therefore, there was a need to prioritise, and the council resolved to allocate the funds as follows: some residents refused to relocate and therefore do not qualify for compensation. Their property was never affected, and neither were their lives. The first priority for compensation will be those whose structures were in the middle of the roads, and the second priority will be the residents who relocated to Katutura Extension 2.
“However, among these residents, some were already compensated — some with cash, others with constructed houses, and some were given materials.”
[email protected]
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