Omatando to be formalised soon

Omatando to be formalised soon The Ongwediva Town Council says it will commence with the formalising the Omatando area next month as the many years of dispute have come to an end.

This is according to Ongwediva town council spokesperson, Jackson Muma, who told reporters Monday that the years of dispute between the council and community of Omatando has been resolved and that all is well for them to start with the process of formalising the area.

Muma said this followed the outcome of the meeting between the two parties and the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority on 12 October.

“The meeting has resolved that the community of Omatando and the council work together in the best interest of development, where Omatando 1, 2 and 3 will be formalised,” he said.

“The formalisation will be preceded by the registration of all properties in Omatando, which will start during the second week of January 2017,” he further said.

When asked how long the registration will be, Muma said that council plans to make sure all properties in Omatando are registered with a period of one month.

Muma said in order for the process to run smoothly the cooperation between them and the community members should be top-notch, saying that they should comply with the decisions taken at the meeting where the dispute was resolved.

He said in order to attain proper planning and a coordinated development, no new developments are allowed to take place until the process is completed.

He added that homestead owners are also tasked not to sell any plots with immediate effect saying that that responsibility of handling land matters is strictly vested in the council.

Muma said council has made a budgetary provision of N$800 000 during the 2016/17 financial year toward the formalisation of Omatando, however, provision will be made if more funding is needed.

“It is important to note that the planning process will be a consultative process in its entirety where every person with a place in Omatando will be afforded an opportunity to contribute to the formalisation,” Muma said.

Regarding the compensation of homesteads which might be in key development areas, the procedures provided for in the compensation policy will be followed.

KENYA KAMBOWE