Renthia Kaimbi
Urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa has rejected allegations surrounding the allocation of four business plots to him in Bukalo, as well as claims regarding a long-running dispute over communal land in the Zambezi Region.
The allegations, raised by former Bukalo Village Council chief executive officer, Martin Limbo question how Sankwasa could have obtained four business plots in Bukalo Extension 2 for a combined N$45 000 and whether the transaction complied with legal requirements governing the disposal of immovable property by local authorities.
Limbo further raised concerns about the absence of refuse collection services in Bukalo since 2020 and alleged that the Bukalo Village Council does not have a valuation roll.
According to the allegations, these matters had previously been brought to Sankwasa’s attention but were not adequately addressed.
Questions were also raised about the minister’s alleged failure to hold a community meeting in Bukalo since his appointment, despite reportedly visiting nearby Katima Mulilo for engagements.
The former CEO questioned whether the N$45 000 paid for the four plots represented a preferential price, claiming that the properties were individually valued at approximately N$23 500.
Sankwasa, however, dismissed the allegations as propaganda and rejected any suggestion that he had received preferential treatment because of his position as minister.
He said he personally approached the Bukalo Village Council and completed the required application forms at the office of council chairperson Chuma Mudabeti.
According to Sankwasa, the application was subsequently tabled before the council and considered by the councillors.
“The issue of my plots in Bukalo is a non-starter because I went to council and applied by completing application forms in Mudabeti’s office. The application was tabled at the council meeting chaired by chairperson Chuma Mudabeti, who is today denying ever knowing about the application for political and tribal reasons best known to her. Ask any local authority councillor at Bukalo VC they will confirm this,” Sankwasa said.
He further maintained that the N$45 000 charged for the four plots was the gazetted price and that he had not received a discount because he is a government minister.
“The price of N$45 000 I was charged is the gazetted price and was never discounted because I am a minister,” he said.
The allegations also linked Sankwasa to a separate High Court dispute concerning approximately 40 hectares of communal land and suggested that the land was situated in an area falling under the Masubia Traditional Authority.
Sankwasa strongly disputed this characterisation.
He said the land at the centre of the court dispute is his ancestral communal land in Sikanjabuka and not land in Salambala, as allegedly claimed.
“I was never given land by the Masubia Traditional Authority. I never even bought the alleged communal land,” Sankwasa said.
He explained that the land had historically been occupied by his family, tracing its occupation to his great-grandfather and grandfather, as well as his father, who he said was born in Sikanjabuka in 1917.
Sankwasa also referred to evidence presented during the court proceedings concerning the traditional authority under whose jurisdiction Sikanjabuka falls.
He said both the Mafwe and Masubia traditional authorities were summoned to testify in the matter.
According to Sankwasa, the Mafwe Traditional Authority produced tribal tax certificates showing that residents of the area, including himself, had paid tribal levies to the Mafwe authority.
He argued that the historical system of tribal levies provided evidence relevant to determining traditional jurisdiction in the area.
Sankwasa also rejected suggestions that his ancestral land was obtained through political influence, warning against what he described as attempts to use politics to alter the region’s history.
“If we want peace in Zambezi, we should stop land grabbing and wanting to rely on politics to change history,” he said.
He further claimed that the current ngambela (premier) Raphael Mbala was familiar with the land, saying Mbala had previously visited the area while working as a teacher at Bukalo Primary School, now Silumbi Combined School.
Sankwasa said he was prepared to defend his position on the land dispute and challenged anyone with contrary evidence to bring it forward.
“This can only make sense to a person who is a candidate for psychiatric attention… This propaganda is being engineered by people who suffer from both economic and mental poverty. Let’s speak the truth and shame the devil,” Sankwasa stated.
The Bukalo Village Council chief executive officer Anna Sazita could not be reached for comment at the time of publication, but had indicated earlier that she was on the road.
The Windhoek Observer, however, understands that an urgent council meeting is set to take place today to discuss the matter.
