Municipality services over 1 000 plots
GROOTFONTEIN - Over 300 residents of Grootfontein in need of housing gathered at the Kap en Bou informal settlement on Saturday where they were informed of the 1 120 serviced plots to be availed for residential purposes.
The gathering follows a decision by the Grootfontein municipality and the Otjozondjupa region governor James Uerikua on Saturday that residents be allowed to apply for the serviced 1 120 plots at the town.
At the meeting, Uerikua said the municipality resolved to sell a total of 1 120 serviced plots in the Extension 6, 7, and 8 residential areas, with applications expected to commence tomorrow. The three extensions are a few metres of Kap en Bou informal area.
The residents in attendance then welcomed the idea and informed Uerikua that they grabbed land in the Kap en Bou informal area after they were kept on the waiting list for more than five years by the municipality. According to the municipality on Saturday, over 7 000 applicants for
dwelling land are on its waiting list.
Uerikua and the community at the meeting then agreed that the applications process set to start on Wednesday should give priority to first-time homebuyers who reside at Grootfontein.
The meeting between the governor and the residents also agreed that the residents of Kap en Bou should for now not be removed from their illegally acquired plots, but be given time to buy the serviced plots and build their houses before their illegal structures are dismantled. The community further agreed that the programme should not allow residents with existing two
or three houses at the town to benefit from it or those that want to set up shebeens.
In their conclusion, the residents suggested for the formation of a committee that would work closely with the municipality in selecting applicants, allocating plots and keeping them informed of the progress.
The Kap en Bou informal area is situated opposite the military base, where the residents are accused to have occupied illegal municipal land since 2017. It accommodates nearly 1 000 households, out of the 30 000 residents at the town. - Nampa