PDM councilor to the rescue after council demolishes shacks

WINDHOEK, FEB 12 – Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) councilor in the Oshakati Town Council, Linus Tobias recently provided his personal camping tent to aid residents whose shacks were demolished by council.

Six households, had been sleeping in the open and benefited from Tobias’ tent. Tobias who took part in erecting the tent expressed his dissatisfaction.

“I am disappointed that our council opted to demolish the shelter of poor people,” said Tobias, adding that the victims are innocent because council officials allocated them the plots where their shacks were now dismantled.

He said he donated the tent after he found the affected residents hopelessly watching their belongings get soaked after rains fell in the area.

“I am not aware of any resolution taken by the council authorizing shacks to be dismantled at Onawa, here or elsewhere in our town. This exercise is unacceptable and needs to come to an end,” stated the PDM politician.

He told the media that council officials started with the demolishing of their shacks, commonly known as uumbashu, during the day.

“The mayor of the town, Angelus Iiyambo, and his chief executive officer, Werner Iita, were here in the morning before the start of demolishings.”
He further noted that Iiyambo and Iita had not told anybody the purpose of their visit.

The council so far has demolished six shacks and two are half demolished, because residents stood up and obstructed the ongoing procedure.

Those affected claimed that council relocated them from where they lived before and allocated them new plots respectively.

“We are surprised to see council team forcefully destroying our shacks again from the new plots they have allocated for us in December last year,” explained the affected victims.

The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) members accompanied the demolishing team, which the spokesperson of the council, Katarina Kamari said consisted council employees and young men taken from the local community.

It is still unclear what will happened to the residents whose shacks were demolished. – NDN Staffer