Many people living in Helao Nafidi Town (HNT) are complaining and crying over the town’s situation, where people are denied plots and other services.

As I grew up in the town before HNT I was very happy the way our town was growing until this Town Council was introduced. Here are my points and concerns as Ohangwena Regional Secretary of the RDPYL.

Town Plan - the town up to now has no town planner and that makes it difficult for the councils to plan well and develop the town accordingly. We understand that much of the town-planner’s work is being done by top managers, including their junior staff. That is too worrisome.

Town Map - I may conclude that our Town Council relies on a temporary map that they use to rob people their hard-earned land, for them to make profit at the expense of the poor people’s lack of knowledge. Why am I saying this? Not more than two years ago (if am not mistaken) the top brass from HNT approached my father to give them a 100 by 100m piece of land that they planned to use for houses and a stadium and now they are building a public library on the same land?

People pay a lot for basic water, because the water metres are too far from the residents’ houses and because of unqualified employees (metre readers). Contract and part time workers are given short periods of employment and get very little per hour.

The land is still owned by the residents, but the Town Council denies people the right to build on their own land. The question people are asking is “whose land is it?” If they don’t want to let people build, buy or sell plots to those in need of it?

It is very painful to the residents of Helao Nafidi Town being denied land and services by the very same people who sold our land to Chinese nationals for their benefit only. Now our own local people and business people can no longer get land, due to the fact that those running the town saw it fit to rob and deny people land to build and develop the town.

We want to develop our region with the little we have and if there are those blocking our way forward then they must leave our town or else demolish the whole ‘project town’. The Ohangwena RDPYL wants to see development in Helao Nafidi Town and we want to see and hear people smiling.