Stefanus Nashama
Landless People’s Movement Member of Parliament, Henny Seibeb, says Urban and Rural Development Minister, Erastus Uutoni has no mental capacity to analyse and investigate before writing a letter to the Mayor of Keetmanshoop.
The Parliamentarian made these remarks yesterday at a press conference in response to Minister Uutoni who apparently wrote a letter on 5 May to the Keetmanshoop Municipality, in which he allegedly claimed the Council has allocated unserviced land to the residents.
Seibeb said the Minister has relied on rumours and gossip in writing a letter, “he has no evidence that unserviced land was distributed”.
“Uutoni has no mental capacity to analyze and investigate before writing a letter. He is wrong and has no right to do that, and we cannot offer him an apology,” he said.
Keetmanshoop Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Catherine Boois, said she is aware of the letter, in which the Minister requested the Council to report on the matter, adding that she cannot comment more since the letter is still in the hands of the mayor.
Up to this stage, this publication has not seen the letter written by the Minister, and all efforts to get the letter have ended in vain.
Seibed said Uutoni is a member of the same party that is corrupt and incapable to address the question of the land issue in the country for many years.
He claimed Swapo has paralysed the country, adding that the same people who failed to address the issue of land should not fool people.
The Parliamentarian said the Council’s action to distribute land is based on the pre-allocation of land as implemented by the Municipal, and followed the local authority act in doing so.
“We challenge the Minister; if he feels we are wrong by implementing pre-allocation of land to the residents, he should approach the Court of Law,” he said.
Seibeb said the land issue in Namibia is not only a policy matter, but it is also a political question, hence policies should come last.
He further said from the South African colonial regime to the Swapo regime, the land issue remains a political question that has not yet been answered.
He said land disposition took place in Namibia, and the best fertile land was occupied, especially in the northern regions.
The land question is critical to the social economic growth of the country as it reduces marginalization and poverty, and eliminates inequality, he said.
He indicated that land distribution is the central concern of LPM, adding that the party will never stop advocating for land in Namibia, with or without elections.
“We are particularly aware that Namibia is facing a huge urban land crisis,” Seibeb noted.
The action of our Local Council has not undermined the local act to address the issue of land distribution, Seibed reiterated
Efforts to get comments from Minister Uutoni and the Keetmanshoop Mayor were not successful.
