Informal settlers want ‘Harambee’The Okahandja Park residents staked their claims to pieces of land that they plan to occupy illegally. Tired of renting and can’t wait on government More than 300 residents of the Okahandja Park informal settlement started clearing land illegally on Monday, saying they are tired of waiting for “Harambee”.The Harambee Prosperity Plan is the brainchild of President Hage Geingob. After he took office in March last year he announced the targeted plan which is supposed to accelerate development and improve access to serviced land, among other interventions.
On Monday afternoon the group staked their claims to pieces of land that they plan to occupy illegally.
Although observed by the City Police, the group insisted that they would not move from there until the government starts delivering on “empty promises” made during last year’s election campaign.
A spokesperson for the group, Mbenda Immanuel, said they are tired of renting, and can no longer wait on the government.
“We do not even have electricity and water; we must walk long distances to get water and we don’t have toilets here. The women living here are risking their lives when they go to the bush for toilet,” he said.
He added that the shacks they are living in are bunched together, which means if one catches fire it spreads to all the others.
“We are doing this to show them that we need the land. That Harambee they are talking about, we want it to come here. If the rich people come then they have it ready but the poor man must always wait,” said Immanuel.
Another settler, Manuel Crespo, said the lack of ventilation in the shacks contributes to the spread of tuberculosis (TB).
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Windhoek Mayor Muesee Kazapua said he feels sorry for those living in informal settlements.
“I am not denying that they are not faced with challenges but we have already started addressing this shortage of land when we launched the massive urban land servicing in the Goreangab area,” he said.
He pointed out, though, that the government does not have enough resources, therefore the City of Windhoek is trying to see how it can speed up the delivery of serviced land.
“We are now looking at implementing the spatial development framework to formulate information in order to address these issues. This will allow us to fast-track the servicing of land and to address the issues of sanitation,” he said.
JEMIMA BEUKES