Deputy mayor defies eviction notice NAMPAThe deputy mayor of Okahandja, Sophia Upithe, is openly defying an official notice to remove her illegal structure at the Vyfrandkamp informal settlement where she lives with her family.
On Tuesday, Nampa visited Vyfrandkamp and found the structure belonging to Upithe intact.
It is alleged she grabbed the land and moved there before she became a town councillor in December 2015.
Upithe on Tuesday refused to comment on the issue and told Nampa to leave her alone.
“Is it you again, please can you stop that thing, asseblief tog,” she said angrily.
The Okahandja mayor, Johannes ‘Congo’ Hindjou on 14 June confirmed in a telephonic interview that his deputy was among those illegally occupying municipal land.
“We made this discovery recently and we told her several times to remove her structure. It is illegal,” said Hindjou, adding that Upithe kept promising to remove it.
Hindjou said eviction notices were issued on 31 May and served on all illegal settlers at informal settlements around Okahandja, including Upithe.
The notices seen by Nampa stated that all illegal settlers on Okahandja municipal land must vacate it before 30 June.
“Failing to do that, council will be left with no other option but to take action.”
The notices did not specify what action would be taken against the nearly 1 000 illegal settlers around the town.
Some illegal settlers at Vyfrandkamp told Nampa that the town council should remove the deputy mayor’s structure before talking to them about the issue.
Andreas Heita Petrus said the council should not tell him anything if it failed to deal with Upithe.
“People will not move out. The councillors should start with their colleague and then we will move to any place they identify for us,” he said.
Rachel Tally, 44, said she would not move if the council was unable to take action against Upithe.
Shevelia Shikongo, 36, asked where she could take her five children if she had to leave the piece of land she called home.
“They must first show us a place to go and then I will move there with my children. We are a big family now, we cannot afford rent,” Shikongo said.