City warns corrupt land applicants

Windhoek city councillor Hileni Ulumbu this week slammed property developers accused of corruptly using persons with disabilities to apply for land.

Although it is unclear how many such cases have been identified, City spokesperson Lydia Amutenya told Namibian Sun that there were currently 170 applications by people with disabilities on the waiting list.

“This is an increasing practice that came to the attention of the council,” Amutenya said.

Ulumbu said the council had “noted with great concern a trend whereby our residents with disabilities are used as fronts in applications for land”.

She warned that it is a criminal act to forge documents purporting that an application is made by a disabled person.

She warned the public, especially persons with disabilities, not to fall victim to corrupt developers who “get their land application through and later abandon them after such approval is granted”.

Ulumbu said this practice was unacceptable and must end immediately.

She said property developers were using disabled people to apply for land, “with a notion that such projects are aimed at providing employment and uplifting the living standards of people with disabilities”.

Ulumbu said the City was already burdened with a backlog of applications for residential plots and therefore urged all residents to follow the correct procedures.

She said the City would remain vigilant against corruption in land applications.