Family's ordeal finally ends
Ombili family finally receive their building materials back and reconstruct their home.
A family that had been living on the streets for over six weeks, after the Helao Nafidi town council dismantled their shack and confiscated their aluminium sheeting and other materials, has rebuilt their home.
When Namibian Sun visited the family on Monday, Johannes Haufiku, Saara Kamati and their two children, including a one-year-old baby, were no longer living in fear out in the open.
The family, who also live with a nine-year-old disabled boy, Mesias Shifoleni, were left fearful and helpless for several weeks.
This had been their plight since 28 August, when they were unceremoniously left homeless by the town council, which has given conflicting versions for why the family's shack was dismantled.
When asked how they managed to retrieve their materials from the council, Haufiku said he went to the municipality under the pretext that he is going to move permanently out of Helao Nafidi and he needed his items.
“Because of everything the Helao Nafidi town council did from the onset was not truthful, I had to think like a man in order to get my things back. After getting my things back I then decided to put up my structure, as it had been,” Haufiku said.
Asked if he was not afraid of getting into trouble with the council, Haufiku confidently said the municipality never had a problem with him.
He said the council must deal with whatever issues it has with Kamati.
The family told Namibian Sun several weeks ago they received a letter dated 20 August from town council CEO Inge Ipinge, which ordered Kamati to remove her structure by 24 August or else the council would do it. On 28 August at around 11:00, council officials arrived in the company of police officers and dismantled their home.
According to the letter, the council's actions followed after it received complaints from Ombili residents about Kamati's bad behaviour, as well as about criminal activities happening at the premises.
When contacted for comment at the time, Ipinge veered from the reasons given in his 20 August letter.
He claimed because Kamati was formerly a resident of the Katwitwi informal settlement, she was not supposed to move to Ombili, but should rather have moved to an area where Katwitwi residents were relocated to.
“I have put back what is mine and it is not Kamati's. She is just living with me because she is the mother of my children. If they come again they should know that this is my house and I will not allow them to do as they wish, like the first time. They must deal with Kamati and not me; I want to live in peace,” Haufiku said. Namibian Sun understands the council is willing to relocate Kamati to either extension 1 or 7, where former Katwitwi residents were moved to, and want the entire family to move.
However, Haufiku said if Kamati is given an erf by the council, it would be because she is a former resident of Katwitwi, and it won't be his property.
“That will not be my property, it will be hers… I am also waiting for the day the Helao Nafidi town council will remove all of us from Ombili and move us to serviced areas,” he said.
Attempts to get comment from Ipinge proved futile at the time of going to print.
KENYA KAMBOWE
When Namibian Sun visited the family on Monday, Johannes Haufiku, Saara Kamati and their two children, including a one-year-old baby, were no longer living in fear out in the open.
The family, who also live with a nine-year-old disabled boy, Mesias Shifoleni, were left fearful and helpless for several weeks.
This had been their plight since 28 August, when they were unceremoniously left homeless by the town council, which has given conflicting versions for why the family's shack was dismantled.
When asked how they managed to retrieve their materials from the council, Haufiku said he went to the municipality under the pretext that he is going to move permanently out of Helao Nafidi and he needed his items.
“Because of everything the Helao Nafidi town council did from the onset was not truthful, I had to think like a man in order to get my things back. After getting my things back I then decided to put up my structure, as it had been,” Haufiku said.
Asked if he was not afraid of getting into trouble with the council, Haufiku confidently said the municipality never had a problem with him.
He said the council must deal with whatever issues it has with Kamati.
The family told Namibian Sun several weeks ago they received a letter dated 20 August from town council CEO Inge Ipinge, which ordered Kamati to remove her structure by 24 August or else the council would do it. On 28 August at around 11:00, council officials arrived in the company of police officers and dismantled their home.
According to the letter, the council's actions followed after it received complaints from Ombili residents about Kamati's bad behaviour, as well as about criminal activities happening at the premises.
When contacted for comment at the time, Ipinge veered from the reasons given in his 20 August letter.
He claimed because Kamati was formerly a resident of the Katwitwi informal settlement, she was not supposed to move to Ombili, but should rather have moved to an area where Katwitwi residents were relocated to.
“I have put back what is mine and it is not Kamati's. She is just living with me because she is the mother of my children. If they come again they should know that this is my house and I will not allow them to do as they wish, like the first time. They must deal with Kamati and not me; I want to live in peace,” Haufiku said. Namibian Sun understands the council is willing to relocate Kamati to either extension 1 or 7, where former Katwitwi residents were moved to, and want the entire family to move.
However, Haufiku said if Kamati is given an erf by the council, it would be because she is a former resident of Katwitwi, and it won't be his property.
“That will not be my property, it will be hers… I am also waiting for the day the Helao Nafidi town council will remove all of us from Ombili and move us to serviced areas,” he said.
Attempts to get comment from Ipinge proved futile at the time of going to print.
KENYA KAMBOWE
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