Illegal buildings continue to appear
Despite meetings and agreements, it would appear as though headmen in the northern regions continue to sell land on road reserves, even though it is deemed illegal.
Several meetings held last year regarding the illegal construction of buildings within reserved areas in the northern regions appear to have had no impact at all as new buildings continue to be constructed.
The situation is out of control and has sparked tensions between the communal land board, traditional authorities, landowners and service providers such as the Roads Authority (RA), Telecom, NamWater, NamPower and Nored.
Authorities are accusing village headmen of illegal communal land sales and of allocating land without prior consultation with the service providers.
New buildings are still being constructed within the road reserve despite a November 2016 agreement signed at a meeting at Opoto location near Ongwediva. It was agreed that no new structures would be allowed within the road reserve, over main water pipes and under overhead power lines. The meeting was attended by members of the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority, the police, communal landowners and service providers such as the RA, Telecom, NamWater, NamPower and Nored were also represented.
The senior headman for Onamutayi district of the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority, Amon Shipanga, confirmed to Namibian Sun this week that new buildings continue to be erected in the road reserve despite the agreement. He added that this was done illegally and without the authority's consent.
“We are aware of the situation and we are also against it. Just last week, when I was travelling to Ondangwa, I saw more new structures set up along the road at Adolfi location. I am yet to find out from the Oikango district headman how this happened. When headmen are allocating land they do not inform us. It is only when things get out of control that they approach us,” Shipanga said.
At the meeting last year, Shipanga had said that communal landowners made it difficult for the traditional authority to control and maintain communal land. He said these landowners are selling land without prior consent and where they want to, without consulting the authorities. Furthermore, he added, they are selling it at high prices and that makes the traditional authority powerless to stop them.
“When landowners come to inform us, they have already accepted money. There are some cases pending where landowners have been summoned for the illegal land sales,” he said.
Most of the buildings in question are business structures and according to the chairperson of Oshana land board Reinhold Iita, only the land board can approve business land allocation. Iita said they had only approved one business allocation between Oshakati and Ondangwa in communal land.
“Traditional authorities have the power to allocate land for houses only, while only the communal land board has the power to give land for businesses, and we have not done that in a very long time -especially between Ondangwa and Oshakati,” Iita said.
Reportedly, lives are being threatened as communal landowners with the assistance of village headmen are allegedly continuing to sell large tracts of land in dangerous areas, while service providers say that land allocation in rural areas is a serious concern because houses and other buildings are denying them access to their facilities.
RA engineering technician Silas Temba said the RA is not a law enforcement agency and the situation is very difficult for them to solve.
“We write letters to these people but when we are going to their buildings there is no one to receive it. We thus cannot notify them they are building illegally. There is nothing or little you can do if people are not accepting these notification letters. As much as we would like to solve it peacefully and avoid demolishing, people are not complying,” Temba said.
He said the Act stipulates that no permanent or temporary structures are allowed to be erected within 100 m from the main road, and 30 m from the gravel road. He also admitted that they failed to prevent this catastrophe from the start.
“Some of these people were approached, but they told us that they used a lot of money to buy the land, so RA must compensate them first. Some are building close to the road purposely, saying that when RA expands the road, they will be compensated. People, the RA will not compensate you and we will demolish your structures,” he warned.
ILENI NANDJATO
The situation is out of control and has sparked tensions between the communal land board, traditional authorities, landowners and service providers such as the Roads Authority (RA), Telecom, NamWater, NamPower and Nored.
Authorities are accusing village headmen of illegal communal land sales and of allocating land without prior consultation with the service providers.
New buildings are still being constructed within the road reserve despite a November 2016 agreement signed at a meeting at Opoto location near Ongwediva. It was agreed that no new structures would be allowed within the road reserve, over main water pipes and under overhead power lines. The meeting was attended by members of the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority, the police, communal landowners and service providers such as the RA, Telecom, NamWater, NamPower and Nored were also represented.
The senior headman for Onamutayi district of the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority, Amon Shipanga, confirmed to Namibian Sun this week that new buildings continue to be erected in the road reserve despite the agreement. He added that this was done illegally and without the authority's consent.
“We are aware of the situation and we are also against it. Just last week, when I was travelling to Ondangwa, I saw more new structures set up along the road at Adolfi location. I am yet to find out from the Oikango district headman how this happened. When headmen are allocating land they do not inform us. It is only when things get out of control that they approach us,” Shipanga said.
At the meeting last year, Shipanga had said that communal landowners made it difficult for the traditional authority to control and maintain communal land. He said these landowners are selling land without prior consent and where they want to, without consulting the authorities. Furthermore, he added, they are selling it at high prices and that makes the traditional authority powerless to stop them.
“When landowners come to inform us, they have already accepted money. There are some cases pending where landowners have been summoned for the illegal land sales,” he said.
Most of the buildings in question are business structures and according to the chairperson of Oshana land board Reinhold Iita, only the land board can approve business land allocation. Iita said they had only approved one business allocation between Oshakati and Ondangwa in communal land.
“Traditional authorities have the power to allocate land for houses only, while only the communal land board has the power to give land for businesses, and we have not done that in a very long time -especially between Ondangwa and Oshakati,” Iita said.
Reportedly, lives are being threatened as communal landowners with the assistance of village headmen are allegedly continuing to sell large tracts of land in dangerous areas, while service providers say that land allocation in rural areas is a serious concern because houses and other buildings are denying them access to their facilities.
RA engineering technician Silas Temba said the RA is not a law enforcement agency and the situation is very difficult for them to solve.
“We write letters to these people but when we are going to their buildings there is no one to receive it. We thus cannot notify them they are building illegally. There is nothing or little you can do if people are not accepting these notification letters. As much as we would like to solve it peacefully and avoid demolishing, people are not complying,” Temba said.
He said the Act stipulates that no permanent or temporary structures are allowed to be erected within 100 m from the main road, and 30 m from the gravel road. He also admitted that they failed to prevent this catastrophe from the start.
“Some of these people were approached, but they told us that they used a lot of money to buy the land, so RA must compensate them first. Some are building close to the road purposely, saying that when RA expands the road, they will be compensated. People, the RA will not compensate you and we will demolish your structures,” he warned.
ILENI NANDJATO
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