Some Henties Bay residents on Tuesday said the land allocation process used by the town’s municipality is discriminatory and unfair.

The residents through Henties Bay Local Housing Committee spokesperson Jekolin Somaes, in a petition, claimed that the inclusion of some beneficiaries for the ultra-low income plots, handed over last month, raises a lot of questions.

“The previous arrangement of including the Henties Bay Housing Committee has been done away with by the municipality for reasons only known to them, although the committee has better knowledge of who the real needy people at the town are as we live amongst them,” Somaes stressed.

She went on to say some of the names included on the beneficiary list are people who are deceased and some are not residents of the town, while can allegedly not be classified under the low-income section, such as the general workers of the Henties Bay Municipality.

The residents amongst others demanded fair and transparent housing and plot allocation, saying this can be ensured by involving the committee in the screening and verification of beneficiaries.

They also demanded the scrapping of Redforce Debt Management, which they accused of wanting to profit from residents’ misfortunes, adding that the debt collection services can be carried out directly by the municipality.

Henties Bay Mayor Lewies Vermaak received the petition on behalf of the council, saying the issues will be discussed.

“We are aware of these issues and are currently in discussion to find answers and solutions to some of these allegations and issues. We as a council would also like Redforce to go, however, we are trying to follow the right procedures in order to avoid a lawsuit. It is a process and we would like you to be patient with us,” Vermaak urged.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency