Houses for the poor cannot be a sham

JOHANNES JOHANNES WRITES:

I tried in vain to engage the Otavi Town Council in their board room but the Mayor and the elected Council refused to listen to us claiming that the Council apparently needs money.

While we as residents fully understand the financial needs of our Council, we are also expecting that the Council takes into cognizance the economic situation in which our Government and Namibians at large find themselves and should, therefore, act reasonably as dictated by the Local Authorities Act.

I was very saddened when Mr Goagoseb Willem, an institutional worker at Etosha Boys Hostel approached me with the same letter than those received by others, seeking for my intervention. By the time he approached me he had already approached various entities for a loan but he could only qualify for an amount of N$10 000. This was not even close to the N$46 400 he needed to pay off his plot in Khoaseb Extention 4 by the due date of 9 October 2019 or provide proof of financing for the full purchase amount.

Many of us find ourselves in the same position and the Council's letters state that a sales invoice is only valid for seven (7) days. If payment is not received of proof of financing submitted, the sale will be cancelled.

I suggested to the Council to give economically viable payment methods to the residents depending on their incomes. A police officer, soldier and a teacher cannot be compared to an institutional worker hence the Council must take that into account when dealing with the residents.

A lot of the residents applied for these plots out of desperation but honestly, many can't afford the full amount in seven (7) days or within the provided extension period (30 days).

This method of sale will totally disadvantage the local people from buying these plots. This will only benefit the rich people from other towns who already own a vast amount of land and they will buy the land and build houses to rent them out to the locals.

I have tried several times to write letters to Minister Peya Mushelenga but his office only confirms getting the email and will never respond or take action about our complaint.