Groot Aub community members want two scrapyards in the area to be closed due to the alleged selling of stolen household items.

This comes after members got into a dispute with one of the scrapyard owners accused of selling stolen household items such as three-legged pots, kettles, basins and stoves amongst others, during the Namibian Police Force (NamPol)’s meeting with the constituency’s inhabitants on Saturday.

Hans Kaufmann, the owner of one of the scrapyards, who was also in attendance, said he does not buy stolen household materials and that community members are trying to damage his reputation.

”I chase the sellers away when I suspect the items are stolen. I don’t want to buy stolen goods. Community members for whatever reason want to blacklist my name,” Kaufmann said.

Windhoek Rural Constituency Councillor, Piet Adams, said the meeting was not intended to attack or place anyone on trial.

“We are here to find solutions. There are police officers from Groot Aub that are dealing with these issues on a daily basis. If there are reasonable grounds where these scrapyard owners are being found doing things illegally, obviously there is a need for this issue to be resolved,” he said.

Former Criminal Investing Officer and |Khomanin Traditional leader, Jorro Eiseb, justified the community’s claims towards the scrapyards.

“I have seen household items many times at these scrapyards.Things are being sold somewhere and because of those guys having an offset market, they are selling the items. If we go with the police to these scrapyards, we would find many stolen items,” Eiseb said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency