Tsumeb residents accuse officials of demanding sex for land

Residents of Tsumeb have accused local authority officials of demanding sexual favours in exchange for land. According to residents, demands for sex is among the reasons why residents have decided to camp outside the municipality offices on Monday to have their grievances heard.Those allegedly involved in this practice also include some community members responsible for facilitating the allocation of land in informal settlements, particularly in Kuvukiland on the outskirts of the town. These accusations are contained in a petition dated 5 November 2024 addressed to the local authority and the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development. The residents, led by community activist Lichen Claasen, had given the council a week to respond, but it appears their grievances have been ignored.Speaking yesterday, Claasen did not hold back in reiterating the allegations made in the petition.“The most shocking part is that some Tsumeb municipality council members are implicated in the illegal selling of plots to unsuspecting residents. One Kuvukiland committee member even offered a plot to a female resident in exchange for sex,” the petition stated.Claasen claims to have evidence supporting these allegations and is willing to share it with both the local authority and Erastus Uutoni, the minister of urban and rural development.As for the planned protest on Monday, Claasen stated that residents would not leave the municipality premises until they had engaged with Uutoni and President-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.“We will not vacate from the municipality if we do not see Nandi-Ndaitwah and Uutoni,” she declared.Protesters have been encouraged to bring tents, boxes, pots, spoons, plates, water bottles, and blankets for the demonstration.Tsumeb mayor Mathews Hangula confirmed that the council is aware of the planned demonstration.Inequitable land distributionThe petition also highlights the alleged unequal allocation of land in Tsumeb. While some residents in informal settlements, such as Kuvukiland, are forced to live in overcrowded conditions - with up to 24 people sharing a single house - businesspeople from other regions have reportedly managed to acquire large plots of land.“Is it really fair for 24 people to live in one house in Kuvukiland, yet the council is willing to sell large tracts of land to businesspeople, some of whom are not even from this town?” Claasen questioned.She added that the group has proof of this unequal treatment and intends to present it to the minister and the president-elect.Water contamination concernsClaasen also criticised the local authority’s intention to increase water tariffs despite knowing that the water is contaminated.“Just imagine, they wanted to increase the price of water knowing that we are drinking contaminated water. We are buying water from the shops to avoid getting sick, and yet they wanted to raise the tariffs. We are not going to allow them to get away with such things,” she said.Two years ago, the presence of Clostridium bacteria was discovered in the town’s water supply. Following this, the government directed the ministry and the Tsumeb municipality to work together to address the issue.Last year, Tsumeb mayor Mathews Hangula told the Namibian Sun that the council was in the process of constructing a water treatment plant to resolve the problem. In the meantime, residents have been advised to boil the water before use or to purchase water from shops.The residents also raised concerns about council staff allegedly securing jobs for which they are not qualified.They questioned the appointment of the town’s acting CEO Frans Enkali, suggesting that it was made in a discriminatory manner.PROTEST LOOMING: A demonstration is scheduled to take place at the Tsumeb municipality premises.PHOTOS: Kenya Kambowe

Tsumeb residents accuse officials of demanding sex for land

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-01

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Tsumeb residents accuse officials of demanding sex for land

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-01

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