Mayor blocks shack demolition
City of Windhoek mayor Fransina Kahungu last Sunday instructed City Police officials to stop the demolition of a shack belonging to a local resident of the Goreangab informal settlement.
The shack in question belongs to Luusa Andreas (35).
The police on Sunday morning attempted to demolish the shack that was erected recently after Andreas had presented her situation to the local committee, which gave her the green light to put up the structure.
Andreas, who is battling a heart problem, was accommodated at a house in Okuryangava, but had to look for a new place to call home after the property was sold.
She broke down in tears when the officers started removing the shack, resulting in her being rushed to the hospital.
“I was in church when I was called here. I left the church ceremony and rushed to come and listen to the people because I heard people crying and screaming in the background on the phone,” said Kahungu.
“When I arrived, I found the woman experiencing breathing difficulties but the police were refusing her to go to the hospital. I felt bad and instructed the City Police to take her to the hospital,” she explained.
Andreas was later admitted in the Katutura state hospital for medical observation.
Kahungu added the demolition was immediately put on hold.
“We will discuss the matter later. The life of the person is very much important than the demolishing of the shack. We will address the matter later,” she told the officers at the site.
Kahungu maintained she was not stopping the police officers from doing their work; however, she was concerned with the health condition of the owner of the shack, further urging local committee members to stop allocating land to more people, saying it will make the registration process cumbersome.
The residents told the mayor the confusion and confrontation between the officials and the members of the public were being triggered by political differences among committee members.
“We have some of the committee members who are against the government and are not willing to work together with those who are fighting for our good cause. This is our concern and we do not know how we are going to resolve the matter,” said one of the residents.