Allexer Namundjembo
Karibib Mayor, Davey Van Wyk, management committee chairperson Lazarus Kanalombe, Adelheid Swartbooi, and Gerson Geingob have allocated themselves plots in the latest sale of land in the town.
Last week, the Karibib Town Council issued a call for objections for the sale of 77 unimproved general residential, residential, institutional, and business erven.
The land is located in Usab Extension 6, Karibib Proper, Karibib Extensions 4 and 7, and Townlands.
The councillors appearing on the list of beneficiaries provided documentation at the beginning of their term in 2020, proving their residency in Karibib.
According to council resolutions, Van Wyk, a United Democratic Front (UDF) member and businessman who owns a Bed & Breakfast in the town, submitted an affidavit in which the party claimed he is renting a property owned by NIDA.
Van Wyk is reported to be a resident of Usakos, where he previously served as a local authority councillor until 2 December 2020, after he was sworn into office as mayor of Karibib.
He submitted an application for a single residential plot in Karibib Proper, designated as Nr. 489, which measures 1 140 square meters and is priced at N$55 119.
According to Van Wyk, previous councillors passed a resolution to facilitate staff members’ access to land.
He said he does not have a residential plot in the town but owns a business erf that he got before he became a councillor.
In previous media reports, he indicated that he resided in Karibib Extension 6 at Erf 1505.
“The council’s focus is to develop informal settlements. We have developments coming in town, with the Osino mine opening soon in town, so we are now focusing on developing settlements that have more than 2000 erf. Prices also differ due to tariffs and the zoning,” Van Wyk said.
He added that the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development’s directive prohibiting local authorities from selling unimproved erven applies only to residential plots.
The documentation also showed that Kanalombe, employed by Swakopmund Uranium Mine, is a resident of Karibib.
It lists his permanent address as Erf No. 406 on Second Street, owned by Navachab QKR Mine.
However, according to a document reviewed by Windhoek Observer, Kanalombe appears to have submitted a contested police declaration, with the mine disputing his claimed residency.
The former town CEO, Lesley Goraseb, had previously questioned his residency status as Kanalombe’s work is over 150 km away from the town.
Kanalombe also referenced a council resolution allowing council employees certain benefits, including access to land.
He applied for a single residential plot, Nr. 1316, measuring 891 square meters in Karibib Extension 4, priced at N$51 678.
“The mayor is the right person to talk to you, but what I can say is that I did not apply for land. Everyone was given a chance to apply for land. Councillors before us passed a resolution for employees’ benefits,” he said.
He declined to confirm whether he owns any other plot in town, directing the reporter to the mayor for further information.
Geingob, identified as a ratepayer in the council’s financial system, has resided in Karibib for over 40 years.
He applied for a single residential plot, Nr. 1329, measuring 761 square meters in Karibib Extension 4, at a cost of N$44 138.
Swartbooi, who has lived in Karibib since 2007, applied for a single residential plot, Nr. 1359, measuring 625 square meters in Karibib Extension 4, for N$36 250. It remains unclear whether she owns property in the town.
Last month, the council advertised an invitation to tender for bulk services in areas where these erven are being sold.
The advertisement specified that the plots would be sold “unimproved,” even though a tender for servicing these locations is in progress.
The council is seeking bidders to provide engineering consultancy for the construction of roads, water, and sewer reticulation in Karibib Extension 4, where some of the plots are located.
In addition, the council announced a tender to upgrade a gravel road to low-volume bitumen standards in Usab Proper, an area where a significant portion of the unimproved erven is for sale. The deadline for this tender application was 8 November, one day before the erven sale was announced.
Questions sent to the Karibib Town Council’s Acting CEO went unanswered, as messages were not responded to and calls went unanswered.
The Windhoek Observer wanted to know what rates were used to determine plot prices and whether the advertised tender for land servicing would apply to the plots up for sale.
According to the council notice, plot prices vary, with most residential plots costing N$30 000, although some plots of similar size have different prices despite being in the same location.
For instance, a single residential plot measuring 882 square meters in Usab Extension 6, being sold to Maria Hamukoto, is priced at N$30 000, the same as Rivelda Hoebes’ erven, which measures only 368 square meters.
In the general business category, a 2 796-square-meter erf being sold to Grasta Karibib Engen is priced at N$400 000, compared to a 3 110-square-meter plot allocated to Mungamba Trading Enterprises CC, which is priced at N$78 014.35. Both plots are in the same area.
