By: Andrew Kathindi
The Landless People’s Movement (LPM) says the Mayor of Windhoek Job Amupanda forged a letter that said councillor Sade Gawanas applied for a plot.
Gawanas allegedly applied for land nine days after being sworn in.
The letter, seen by The Villager, has an official stamp of the Office of the Mayor dated 11 December 2020.
According to the letter circulated on social media last week, Gawanas was applying for land according to a resolution that councillors in the municipality took in 2012.
The resolution 343/09/2012 says that the option of availing residential erven to City councillors who do not have any property should be explored when available.
However, addressing the media in Windhoek on Tuesday, the LPM second in command, Henny Seibeb, said Gawanas did not write any letter asking for land.
“Sade Gawanas did not apply for any land after nine days from having been sworn in. That is a figment of their sick infertile imagination of Amupanda and his criminal cabal. They forged her signature and produced a fake letter,” said Seibeb.
He also said that Gawanas had consulted her legal counsel to unearth the writer of the letter.
“Gawanas does not know or does not have a second home like the Mayor from Omalaala. When the going gets tough, the Mayor from /Ae//Gams runs to Omalaala. Where will Gawanas go?” Seibeb asked.
Seibeb further accused Amupanda of being a fake land activist. The LPM deputy said the mayor has ignored the white-owned land monopoly and has chosen to frame a Gawanas who, according to Seibeb, lost ancestral land.
“He [Amupanda] makes a mockery of the whole land problem. Maybe he’s unfit to govern. Maybe LPM should join the so-called progressives and replace those two seats and take over mayorship next year.”
Gawanas herself called to the City of Windhoek, Executive for Housing and Property Management and Human Settlement, Faniel Maanda, seeking information regarding the letter.
Maanda wrote to Gawanas on 15 October, saying that he could neither confirm nor deny whether the letter was real or fake because he had not received it.
“I confirm that no application for land from you in your capacity as councillor or your private capacity as a citizen of this country was brought to my attention unless I missed such communication. That, in case I missed such communication, I received no reminder to the existence of such an application.”
Maanda states that he will only comment on the letter when it reaches his office and its authenticity is proved.
He, however, confirmed that Gawanas did enquire by email about the possibility of acquiring a plot and the requirements thereof on 21 June 2021.
“After learning about the exact details of the procedure and requirements, you informed me telephonically that you will not proceed with the application. That marked the end of the enquiry process, and I did not hear from you on the matter from that date.”
The allegedly fake letter was written to acting CEO George Mayumbelo. He did not respond to questions sent to him by The Villager over the authenticity of the letter.
Amupanda did not respond to calls or questions sent to him.
Affirmative Repositioning spokesperson Simon Amunime told The Villager, “I can’t speak on behalf of the city, so I can’t comment on whether it is genuine or not, but I think the letter has an official stamp from the city. But of course, we are not surprised by people like Henny. We’ve always known Henny to be a heavy drunkard.”
