Tribalism, corruption claims at Onandjaba

Tribalism, corruption claims at OnandjabaActivists demand answers on land sales A pressure group at the settlement says it is tired of being blindfolded by “corrupt officials”. Community members say the issue of plots being dished out illegally and tribal remarks made by some residents in the area is stagnating development of the settlement.

“We don't have access to land. Young qualified professionals don't want to work here because they don't want to rent. There is too much corruption in Onandjaba and these are not things we are just talking about but there is proof for anyone to see. We are tired of being blindfolded by corrupt officials,” one of the residents said during a community meeting held on Sunday at Onandjaba settlement in Okalongo Constituency which was organised by the Okalongo Based Development Community Body (OBDCB).

The OBDCB had organised the meeting to inform the community about progress of its activities and future development plans for the Okalongo settlement area.

Very few people attended the meeting.

During the deliberations, the community members were briefed about the petition which they handed over to the regional council in May 2016 and directed to President Hage Geingob who was petitioned to investigate the illegal land deals in the area.

Geingob was also petitioned to remove the Onandjaba settlement control officer Amandus Kandowa from office, whom they are accusing of selling plots illegally to prominent government officials and business people.

The Office of the President responded to the petition in a letter dated 17 October 2016 confirming receipt of the petition and that consultations were being conducted with the regional governor Erginus Endjala.

This prompted Endjala to set up a meeting on 13 December 2016 with the community members from the area. During that meeting, issues were raised regarding illegal land deals and the tribalism in Okalongo.

At this meeting, a temporary five-member committee was established to investigate these allegations.

The findings are yet to be presented but Namibian Sun is reliably informed that investigations have been conducted.

During Sunday's meeting, the OBDCB also tackled the issue of tribalism claims levelled against them saying the alleged corrupt officials being accused of corruption are making the accusations to discredit them.

“They want to make it a tribal issue because we are asking them about their corrupt ways,” OBDCB's secretary, Jordaan Thomas said.

“We don't want their positions; we just want them to do their work in a fair and transparent manner.”

Thomas also read out a letter dated 30 May 2016 issued by Okalongo Constituency Councillor Laurentius Iipinge directed to the secretary of the eight traditional authorities, Maria Angungu in which concerns about the OBDCB were raised.

Thomas questioned why a leader would write such a letter saying Iipinge should be thankful to the group for exposing corruption in the area instead of acting against the his organisation.

He further added that there is no act in the country which opposes the establishment of a community based group aimed at lobbying the government to fast track development.

In his letter Iipinge said the body was established only after he was elected into office as councillor in December 2015 but according to Thomas, the body was established in 2013 and had worked with the previous councillor.

“The body was inadvertently established to derail me from performing my tasks within the scope of the Local Authority Act and in line with other political programs,” the letter read. This week Iipinge confirmed to Namibian Sun the content of the letter saying that he wrote the letter with the intention of involving the traditional authorities to issue an interdict to the body not to continuing with its activities.

“This body has been introduced after I entered office and two of the members of this body were candidates competing with me during the 2015 regional council election,” Iipinge said.

“I wrote the letter because I had concerns and I still have them and I am still waiting for the traditional authorities to get back to me,” Iipinge further said.



KENYA KAMBOWE