No compensation, no formalisation
While they are waiting for payment for their land, the Omatando residents have said there will be no formalisation of the area.
Following media reports that the residents of Omatando and Ongwediva Town Council reached an agreement regarding the formalisation process, community members had a meeting over the weekend announcing no agreement had been reached.
The residents added that council should not distort the truth but indicated if such an agreement did exist, council should present it to them.
At the meeting, residents also made it clear that they will not permit any formalisation before fair compensation has taken place. They questioned why council is going ahead with its plan to formalise the area if people have not been compensated yet.
The villagers also expressed concern over the fact that council refers to the land in Omatando as theirs when the legal owners have not been compensated.
“The land does not belong to council, it belongs to the people of Omatando and if council wants to formalise it, they should compensate us just like its done in any formalisation process… what council is currently doing is not in accordance with the law,” one of the villagers told Namibian Sun after the meeting.
When contacted for comment, Ongwediva spokesperson, Jackson Muma, told Namibian Sun that compensation will be done concurrently with the formalisation of Omatando.
When asked whether it is being done in line with the compensation policy, Muma said the policy does not indicate that people should be compensated before the formalisation saying that council can do it after the formalisation as long as there is an agreement in place.
“We will do it concurrently and we can actually do the formalisation first before we compensate, it is not a problem,” Muma said.
When asked whether council has the funds available to compensate the people, Muma said funds will be made available.
Meanwhile Omatando 1, 2 and 3 became part of Ongwediva townlands through the the Government Gazette No. 5038 of September 2012 in accordance with the Local Authorities Act 23 of 1992.
The alteration of town borders about 8 kilometres north includes villages such as Oupumako, Okatope, Omusheshe, Okaandje, Okahenge, part of Ondjodjo, Oshidhilaadhila, Omayango and Ohendjele.
Ongwediva Town Council also made a budgetary provision of about N$800 000 during the 2016/17 financial year towards the formalisation of Omatando.
Thus far, council has commenced with the on-site verification process which is expected to be completed by end of this month.
The land survey is planned to start in September and expected to be completed by the end of October.
Last month the council informed the residents of Omatando that they will not be allowed to construct on their plots up until January 2018 as council plans to speed up the township formalisation process.
KENYA KAMBOWE
The residents added that council should not distort the truth but indicated if such an agreement did exist, council should present it to them.
At the meeting, residents also made it clear that they will not permit any formalisation before fair compensation has taken place. They questioned why council is going ahead with its plan to formalise the area if people have not been compensated yet.
The villagers also expressed concern over the fact that council refers to the land in Omatando as theirs when the legal owners have not been compensated.
“The land does not belong to council, it belongs to the people of Omatando and if council wants to formalise it, they should compensate us just like its done in any formalisation process… what council is currently doing is not in accordance with the law,” one of the villagers told Namibian Sun after the meeting.
When contacted for comment, Ongwediva spokesperson, Jackson Muma, told Namibian Sun that compensation will be done concurrently with the formalisation of Omatando.
When asked whether it is being done in line with the compensation policy, Muma said the policy does not indicate that people should be compensated before the formalisation saying that council can do it after the formalisation as long as there is an agreement in place.
“We will do it concurrently and we can actually do the formalisation first before we compensate, it is not a problem,” Muma said.
When asked whether council has the funds available to compensate the people, Muma said funds will be made available.
Meanwhile Omatando 1, 2 and 3 became part of Ongwediva townlands through the the Government Gazette No. 5038 of September 2012 in accordance with the Local Authorities Act 23 of 1992.
The alteration of town borders about 8 kilometres north includes villages such as Oupumako, Okatope, Omusheshe, Okaandje, Okahenge, part of Ondjodjo, Oshidhilaadhila, Omayango and Ohendjele.
Ongwediva Town Council also made a budgetary provision of about N$800 000 during the 2016/17 financial year towards the formalisation of Omatando.
Thus far, council has commenced with the on-site verification process which is expected to be completed by end of this month.
The land survey is planned to start in September and expected to be completed by the end of October.
Last month the council informed the residents of Omatando that they will not be allowed to construct on their plots up until January 2018 as council plans to speed up the township formalisation process.
KENYA KAMBOWE
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