Christof Maletsky
16 April 2008
Windhoek — The Swapo Youth League has quietly started negotiations to stop the eviction of around 3 000 squatters living at the Mix Camp at Brakwater.
The youth league's secretary, Elijah Ngurare, confirmed to The Namibian yesterday that they have started implementing a resolution taken at last year's congress to ensure that the City of Windhoek and the Government must do everything in their power to assist the people.
The people face eviction after the owners of the plot approached the High Court in December to get an order for their removal.
The SPYL wants to stop the people from being uprooted from the place where many, but not all, have lived since 1980 after the previous owner, Heiner Mix, allowed them to settle on the land.
"We want the Government to buy the land as per the resolution of last year.
We are talking to those involved and expect the people to respect our resolution," Ngurare said.
He said there was no way 3 000 people could be relocated.
According to the youth league, even though some joined the group purely to capitalise on what Government might do for others, there were many with genuine needs.
Last year the Swapo Youth League congress deliberated on the plight of the Mix community and agreed that they had a serious concern.
Although the High Court ordered that the community be evicted, the order has not been served, as legal representatives of the owner of the 50-hectare plot, Frans Kapofi, as well as Kazenambo Kazenambo from the adjacent plot and the Legal Assistance Centre are still discussing how to go about it.
Earlier the LAC appealed to the Government and the City of Windhoek to expropriate the plot but the Government informed them that it was a private matter and that there was no reason to interfere with the eviction order.
The City of Windhoek also decided to stay out.
The Namibian understands that one of the owners was willing to sell his plot, but at market price, which was around N$1 million.
He bought it for around N$380 000 from the former owner.
Through the Legal Assistance Centre, the community claimed that they had tried to buy the plot since March 2004, but that their offer had never been considered.
In February 2007 and May 2007, that offer was repeated, but without any response, they maintained.
Yesterday, Norman Tjombe of the LAC said they were still awaiting the Government's response on their request to buy the plot.
"We hope that the new Minister Mr (Jerry) Ekandjo will favourably consider our plea.
He has background about the case since we also submitted the same papers to the Ministry of Lands, from where he comes," Tjombe said.
The squatters, many of them small children and old people, had been allowed by previous plot owner, Heiner Mix, to live on the property since 1980 in return for a nominal rent.
Mix died in 1999 and the plot was then sold to Eluwa Lya Tenda Property.
The owners of Eluwa Lya Tenda Property informed the residents that any rent agreement was terminable by "reasonable notice" and that the month and a half they were given last year was enough.
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