Political motives alleged in Divundu protest
Hertta-Maria Amutenja
Mukwe Constituency Councillor Damian Maghambayi has raised concerns over the timing and intent of a protest calling for the removal of Divundu Village Council CEO, Maghumbo Ndjamba.
“We are under the impression that those who organised the demonstration are leaders of a political party,” said Maghambayi. “Now that we are headed for local authority elections. Why now?”
This comes as a petition, dated 27 May, was handed to Maghambayi by Marando Freddy Dikuwa, identified as the demonstration’s leader.
Maghambayi later forwarded the document to Kavango East Regional Governor Hambyuka Hamunyera, who will pass it on to the Minister of Urban and Rural Development.
The petition accuses the Divundu Village Council of several issues, including the loss of land without consultation or compensation, unfair plot allocation, and relocation of residents to unserviced areas.
It also claims that outsiders receive preference for land and that residents have limited access to the CEO.
Maghambayi disputed the claims of unfair compensation.
He said he requested proof from the village council and found that some protestors had already received payments.
“To my surprise, the person who was leading the demonstration even received a payment of over N$100,000 on 10 May, and over N$100,000 again last year. This also happened in 2021, 2022, and 2018,” he said. “It is also apparent that he had multiple lands, and maybe we need to establish why one person has so many lands in a local authority. For one to say people were not compensated is wrong.”
Maghambayi said compensation follows a process where the council identifies affected land, evaluates it, and sends a resolution to the ministry, which then pays the beneficiaries directly.
The petition also mentions a manmade oxidation pond that protesters say poses a threat to aquatic life and is merging into the river where residents fetch water.
Community members claim they are being moved to areas without basic services like water, electricity, roads, or sewer systems.
The petition alleges that the CEO does not respect residents and does not make himself available.
“His office is not open to the community. Outsiders have easier access. Even when appointments are made, on the day of the meeting, he is often not available. Sometimes it takes three to four months to get an audience with him,” the petition reads.
Governor Hamunyera confirmed that he received the petition.
“I was not aware of the issues until this week. I received a letter of complaint on Tuesday from the community. I have not engaged the authority because of all the public holidays,” he said.
