Sankwasa denies missed Groot Aub meeting

Urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa has denied snubbing Groot Aub community leaders on Wednesday, insisting he met them after his scheduled engagement with the City of Windhoek Council.

A group of residents claimed they had been promised a sit-down with the minister to discuss governance concerns of Groot Aub, only to be told after their arrival that it had been cancelled.

"I had a scheduled meeting with the City of Windhoek Council, not the community,” the minister told Namibian Sun later that day.

“It's not correct to state that I couldn't meet with them because I, together with the City councillors, met them after the scheduled meeting.”

Speaking outside the ministry earlier that day, Groot Aub community representative Cecil Titus gave a different account.

He claimed that representatives from nine constituencies travelled to Windhoek after receiving confirmation that a 10:00 meeting had been arranged with Sankwasa and City officials together. "We were also informed that the minister will meet with the City of Windhoek as well, as a group... so that we can iron out whatever is supposed to be."

Titus claimed the arrangement changed after they arrived. "When we came here, the minister then informed us at about a quarter to 11 that the meeting will not proceed with us because that meeting will take too long and he will not be able to meet with us as the communities", he said.

He accused the ministry of dragging its feet on residents' concerns. "We have a problem that for four months, we have been having issues, and now honourable Sankwasa is calling us to his office just to tell us to go home,” he said. "We are here because we have issues in the City of Windhoek, and we want to speak to the minister with regard to issues which we have in the City of Windhoek.”

New structure

Titus said Groot Aub residents want an alternative governance arrangement rather than remaining under the City of Windhoek. "We want the minister to assist us… help us to do the development of Groot Aub by itself," he said, arguing the municipality lacks the capacity to manage both Windhoek and Groot Aub effectively.

He warned that if their concerns remain unresolved, residents would escalate the matter to the Office of the President and the Office of the Prime Minister. "We are tired of suffering under the City of Windhoek," Titus said.

The disagreement comes days after the City of Windhoek launched the Groot Aub land tenure programme, under which residents of Groot Aub Extension 2 began signing lease agreements.

The City also announced door-to-door household verification to confirm property boundaries, household information and municipal service needs, while properties requiring rezoning or realignment would be assessed before formalisation.