Sidelined because of politics

One of the people removed from a mass housing beneficiary list, allegedly in favour of relatives of former Hardap governor Katrina Hanse-Himarwa, says it was because of rumours that she belonged to an opposition party.

Regina Kuhlman told the Windhoek High Court it was not “an easy moment” when she was informed by Rehoboth Urban East constituency councillor Edward Wambo that the house she had signed a contract for was no longer hers to move into.

Hanse-Himarwa, who is facing graft charges, ate Quality Street chocolates and took notes during Kuhlman's testimony.

Kuhlman said she was called to the Mariental municipality on 15 December 2014 and informed of the conditions under which she would receive her home.

However, the next day - at 08:00 - she was summoned by a certain Alma Gawaxas, who told her to come back to the municipal offices.

“When I got there I was directed to an office. In the office I met councillor Wambo and Paul Nghiwilepo and a third person whose name I do not remember. Wambo informed me that I can no longer get the house. He said there are rumours in Mariental that we are from the opposition,” she said.

She added Wambo told her there were “needy and disabled” people who needed to be prioritised.

“I cried in that office. I felt very bad, I felt like someone who was in a different country; and I was supposed to get the keys the next day, it was supposed to be my first priority,” she said.

According to her, Mariental CEO Nghiwilepo intervened to explain that in fact the decision to remove her from the list came from Hanse-Himarwa.

It is alleged that Kuhlman and Piet Fransman were then removed from the beneficiary list and replaced with Christiana Lorraine Hansen and Justine Josephine Gowases.

“He [Nghiwilepo] also said that it was the first time that the governor was involved in something like this,” Kuhlman said yesterday.

When prodded by Hanse-Himarwa's lawyer Sisa Namandje to explain “something like this”, she referred to the mass housing project.

Nghiwilepo told the court last year that Hanse-Himarwa had instructed him to remove two names from the list, and replace them with names she had given him.

During November last year former Mariental mayor Alex Kamburute also told the court that Hanse-Himarwa wanted the names of two people removed from the beneficiary list during December 2014.

Kuhlman added yesterday she was eventually allocated another mass housing unit, which she moved into in 2015.

However, during cross-examination it was revealed that she also occupies a school hostel - a privilege she enjoys as a hostel matron.

Kuhlman also admitted that she receives a housing allowance, but had no knowledge that the mass housing units were already subsidised.

“I cannot recall whether I was informed that the house prices are lowered because of the subsidy. I only remember being told how we must maintain the houses and look after them,” Kuhlman said.

The house she received cost N$138 000.

Namandje also informed her previous witnesses had testified that they should earn a salary of N$7 500 per month to qualify for a house.

She told him that she did not earn that much when she was allocated a house.

The State is represented by Salomon Kanyemba and Constance Moyo.

The trial continues before Judge Christie Liebenberg.

JEMIMA BEUKES