Okahandja's development grinds to a halt, residents say

Frustration is boiling over in Okahandja’s Ekunde informal settlement, where residents accuse the municipality of failing to engage communities on critical decisions, deepening uncertainty over land allocation amid repeated council meeting cancellations.

The latest flashpoint arose when residents handed over a petition to the municipality protesting what they describe as an unfair attempt to remove them from the land they currently occupy. Although the petition was addressed to mayor Ilena Mutumbulwa, it was received by ordinary councillor Petrus Gariseb in her absence on the 23 July.

The petition follows weeks of growing tensions between residents and municipal leaders. Community members said a meeting with management committee chairperson Patricia Hawaes was expected to address concerns over the land and ongoing surveying activities.

 Residents said Hawaes had accepted an invitation to visit the settlement to assess conditions on the ground before discussions took place. The meeting, however, did not happen, they said.

The community alleges that Hawaes assured them that surveying work would be put on hold while she engaged the municipal town planner.

Residents further claim that she promised to convene a meeting involving community activist Sethy Gariseb, the mayor, the municipality’s CEO and town planning officials. According to residents, that meeting also never materialised.

The lack of engagement has left many residents questioning whether the municipality is genuinely committed to resolving the dispute.

In limbo

Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, several residents told Windhoek Express they believe Okahandja is "going backwards" after initially showing positive signs of progress under the current council.

"We thought things were finally moving in the right direction," one resident said. "Now there are no community meetings, council meetings keep getting cancelled, and nobody tells us what is happening."

A source familiar with municipal affairs said repeated postponements of council meetings are delaying decisions on a wide range of issues, including land allocation, housing and service delivery.

The concerns mirror those raised in a letter written by Okahandja councillor Akser Aupindi, who criticised the repeated suspension of municipal council meetings. In the letter, Aupindi noted that meetings initially scheduled for 28 July were postponed to 3 August and then again to 5 August, with no public explanation provided.

For many residents, the consequences are becoming increasingly visible. Land disputes remain unresolved, infrastructure projects appear stalled and communities say they are being left without answers as administrative processes drag on.

Attempts by Windhoek Express to obtain comment from the council were unsuccessful. Calls to Mayor Ilena Mutumbulwa went unanswered, while councillor Petrus Gariseb could not be reached to confirm whether the petition had been handed to the relevant office.

aurelia @nmh-hub.com.na