Residents refuse to relocate
Residents of the Vergenoeg informal settlement in Okahandja are refusing to relocate. They insist they have been promised basic services at their current location. Some residents have already built permanent brick structures based on previous commitments.In a letter seen by the Network Media Hub (NMH), community activist Sethy Garises confirmed that the municipality has begun issuing verbal relocation orders in long-established informal settlements like Vergenoeg, which have existed for over two decades.
Garises cited a 2022 visit by then-deputy minister of urban and rural development Natalia Goagoses and former mayor Natasha Brinkman, who promised the provision of services. "Only a few taps and toilets have been installed. We have been patient for over 20 years," Garises said, calling on the current minister to intervene. "We were told by Philip, the former town planner, that we were in the right place and wouldn't be relocated. That's why we started building," said one frustrated resident who wished to remain anonymous. "Now we're being told by Jason Ndipwashimwe and his team to move. Where are we going to go?"
Long-term resident Paul Gariseb, who has lived in Vergenoeg for over five years, is among the many who refuse to leave. "They tell me to get up and leave, but I won't," he said, adding that some local team members are allegedly being paid by certain community members to allocate land unfairly. Community member Paulus Haindere raised similar concerns, accusing politicians of pursuing their business interests. "They've realised that Okahandja is growing rapidly and want to use the land for their friends' businesses. These politicians own rental properties everywhere. That's why they don't want to give people land."
When contacted, deputy mayor Akser Aupindi said: "They will not stop the surveyor from doing his job. We are only doing what we have to do in our term of office to serve the community."
Asked who authorised the original settlement, Aupindi evaded the question: "They know who put them there. They should get their answers from Phillip."
Community members are planning a peaceful demonstration on 25 April to stop the ongoing survey work and demand more transparency from the Okahandja municipality.