Havana residents blast City over empty land promises
Residents of the Havana informal settlement feel abandoned by the City of Windhoek, accusing it of deliberately neglecting to fully service the Havana Proper settlement with water, electricity and sewage systems since 2016.
According to the residents, the municipality has instead renamed the unserviced portion land to Havana Proper Extended 3, and promised to service it, but nothing has been done to date.
Speaking at a meeting on Saturday, neighbourhood committee secretary John Iileka said residents held a meeting with the City on 6 December last year. There, City human settlement executive Faniel Maanda told CEO Moses Matyayi that “the municipality will start servicing the land in January”.
“In January, we [concerned residents] did not receive any communication from them [the municipality] and followed up with numerous letters. When we finally got a response on 6 May that the subdivision layout of the erven is complete and under consideration, Maanda never provided the final decision slated for 27 June,” he said.
A document from the City to residents - seen by Namibian Sun - confirmed that Maanda would submit the proposal to the council. It was scheduled to be presented and discussed at a strategic executive forum later that month and, if supported, would be reviewed by the management committee. If approved, it was to proceed to the council for final approval, with the decision to be made on 27 June.
Others enjoy utilities
When the residents followed up with visits to the municipality’s offices, they were told the officials were attending to other matters abroad. “We left our contact details asking for a meeting to inquire about the matter, but we have not received any feedback to date,” Iileka said.
He added that the residents are frustrated as they have to put up with their neighbours enjoying utilities like water, electricity and flushing toilets, while they are forced to use non-flushing ones.
A resident, who preferred to be identified only as Lovisa, said: “The ones we use are pit toilets and tend to get very smelly. They also fill up and need emptying, which we are forced to do ourselves because the City of Windhoek's solid waste management workers rarely come here. We've only seen them once this year”.
Another resident, a 63-year-old pensioner, claimed there seems to be corruption in the allocation of erven. “I have seen people being relocated from their homes for the land to be serviced, only for it to be given to someone else once it's done. I have three children who go to school. What am I supposed to leave for them?” he wanted to know.
‘Havana-rot’
Iileka believes the money initially meant to service the area was embezzled. “It appears the money used to service the whole settlement, including what the City is now calling [Havana Proper] Extended 3 was embezzled,” he claimed.
He added: “The municipality is trying to cover it up by referring to it as an extended settlement. It was never extended, we have been one ever since. Like the ‘Fishrot’ scandal, this is ‘Havana-rot’.”
When contacted for a comment on the matter, Maanda referred Namibian Sun to the municipality’s communications department.
City spokesperson Lydia Amutenya responded that if the area is not yet serviced, it could be that it is not yet formalised. “When we are formalising areas, we do it in stages. However, to avoid generalising the matter, kindly send me an email to consult with the officials on Monday. I will only be able to provide a comprehensive answer then,” she noted.
According to the residents, the municipality has instead renamed the unserviced portion land to Havana Proper Extended 3, and promised to service it, but nothing has been done to date.
Speaking at a meeting on Saturday, neighbourhood committee secretary John Iileka said residents held a meeting with the City on 6 December last year. There, City human settlement executive Faniel Maanda told CEO Moses Matyayi that “the municipality will start servicing the land in January”.
“In January, we [concerned residents] did not receive any communication from them [the municipality] and followed up with numerous letters. When we finally got a response on 6 May that the subdivision layout of the erven is complete and under consideration, Maanda never provided the final decision slated for 27 June,” he said.
A document from the City to residents - seen by Namibian Sun - confirmed that Maanda would submit the proposal to the council. It was scheduled to be presented and discussed at a strategic executive forum later that month and, if supported, would be reviewed by the management committee. If approved, it was to proceed to the council for final approval, with the decision to be made on 27 June.
Others enjoy utilities
When the residents followed up with visits to the municipality’s offices, they were told the officials were attending to other matters abroad. “We left our contact details asking for a meeting to inquire about the matter, but we have not received any feedback to date,” Iileka said.
He added that the residents are frustrated as they have to put up with their neighbours enjoying utilities like water, electricity and flushing toilets, while they are forced to use non-flushing ones.
A resident, who preferred to be identified only as Lovisa, said: “The ones we use are pit toilets and tend to get very smelly. They also fill up and need emptying, which we are forced to do ourselves because the City of Windhoek's solid waste management workers rarely come here. We've only seen them once this year”.
Another resident, a 63-year-old pensioner, claimed there seems to be corruption in the allocation of erven. “I have seen people being relocated from their homes for the land to be serviced, only for it to be given to someone else once it's done. I have three children who go to school. What am I supposed to leave for them?” he wanted to know.
‘Havana-rot’
Iileka believes the money initially meant to service the area was embezzled. “It appears the money used to service the whole settlement, including what the City is now calling [Havana Proper] Extended 3 was embezzled,” he claimed.
He added: “The municipality is trying to cover it up by referring to it as an extended settlement. It was never extended, we have been one ever since. Like the ‘Fishrot’ scandal, this is ‘Havana-rot’.”
When contacted for a comment on the matter, Maanda referred Namibian Sun to the municipality’s communications department.
City spokesperson Lydia Amutenya responded that if the area is not yet serviced, it could be that it is not yet formalised. “When we are formalising areas, we do it in stages. However, to avoid generalising the matter, kindly send me an email to consult with the officials on Monday. I will only be able to provide a comprehensive answer then,” she noted.
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