Allexer Namundjembo
Some people who were allocated houses at the Twaloloka residential area in Walvis Bay following the 2020 fire, are facing eviction.
This comes amid ongoing allegations of corruption and mismanagement of the project.
A letter served to some residents, authored by Wilhelm Amukoto on behalf of the government attorney and seen by the Windhoek Observer, demands that the occupants vacate the houses within hours.
“We herein demand that you and anyone else unlawfully occupying the property vacate the property within seven (7) working hours,” the eviction letter reads.
The eviction has sparked outrage, with many questioning how the authorities determined which of the residents should vacate the houses.
Walvis Bay rural constituency councillor, Donatus Tegako, has distanced himself from the process, saying he is unaware of the extent of corruption surrounding the initiative.
“There are allegations of corruption, and my office has made it clear that there was something wrong with the allocation of houses. I stopped the awarding of houses to the victims, but the office of the governor proceeded, despite me raising a red flag that there is corruption involved,” he said.
He blamed the office of the governor for proceeding to allocate the houses despite warnings.
“Ever since then, all the processes that were supposed to be followed to resolve the issue were spearheaded by those that messed up the initial list of beneficiaries, including the governor, the project manager and whatever they have done, it is only them that can explain what happened,” Tegako said.
He also said that the police and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) were roped in by the governor, Neville Andre.
“There is no report from the ACC or anything to give an update. I have now heard that certain individuals were issued with notifications that they should vacate those houses, but my office was not consulted, and I do not have much information regarding this,” Tegako said.
Allegations surfaced that the list of beneficiaries has been manipulated. The rightful recipients were allegedly removed while others, with political connections, received homes during the allocation of the houses.
Many of the houses still lack basic services such as water and electricity, as the new homeowners have to arrange for connections with the municipality and ErongoRED.
Community activist, Andemale Shikongo accused Michael Jimmy, the personal assistant of the governor Andre, of withholding the original list of beneficiaries.
Jimmy was tasked with overseeing the Twaloloka Housing Project and presided over the administrative committee that consists of many stakeholders, including Walvis Bay mayor Trevino Forbes and Walvis Bay rural constituency councillor.
In an open letter, Shikongo claims that Jimmy is aware of people that were sidelined but has failed to ensure fairness in the process.
“I have informed you that the issue of Twaloloka is not political, but administrative. When the rest of the beneficiaries came to collect documents, you restricted them from distributing it to the rightful owners. What are you really hiding?” Shikongo wrote.
Contacted for comments, Jimmy denied any involvement in the distribution of houses or the eviction process.
“I was never, ever responsible for distributing houses,” he said.
