Shaningwa hands over Groot Aub Land Titles to CoW

WINDHOEK, Sept. 11 – Minister of Rural and Urban Development Sophia Shaningwa on Friday handed over Groot Aub Land Titles to the City of Windhoek (CoW).
This comes after government receiving numerous complaints from the residents of Groot Aub on the serious challenges they face.
Due to population growth and people movement, Groot Aub was experiencing challenges that negatively impacted their livelihood.
Shaningwa said the residents faced water shortages, which were reaching a crisis point, and was exacerbated by illegal connections, in addition to land grabbing or illegal allocation and occupation of land and erection of structures.

Other challenges include a lack of proper solid and liquid waste disposal and management system and illegal mining and other economic activities.
Shaningwa reiterated that: “the government has received numerous complaints and a cry for help from the residents of Groot Aub for the government to urgently intervene to arrest the situation.”

She said the handover resulted in a change of administrative status of Groot Aub from being a settlement under the administration of the Khomas Regional Council to being a township under the jurisdiction and administration of the Windhoek municipality.
In addition, Shaningwa lifted the moratorium on all construction activities placed in May 2017 saying the responsibility of managing and regulating all such activities in Groot Aub falls on the CoW and will be done in accordance with the applicable by-laws.
“The zero-tolereance on land invasion remain in force until such a time that COW, Namibian police and the City Police have contained the situation,” she said. –Sharma Mundingi