Katima mulilo: A group of concerned Katima Mulilo residents in the Zambezi Region took to the streets on Friday over what they claimed 'mismanagement and irregularities in the allocation of land' by the Katima Mulilo Town Council (KMTC).

According to Namibia Press Agency, the group, which marched from the Katima Mulilo Open Market to the KMTC offices, said their demonstration is based on lived experiences and collective frustrations that bear no tribal, political or personal agendas. The demonstrators, who consisted mostly of young people, threatened to close the offices of KMTC if they were not heard or their petition was not received.

In the petition read by Owen Mahoto, the group claimed that they have seen plots being distributed in a manner that lacks accountability, equity and meaningful community consultations. "This disturbing pattern has become particularly evident in the preferential allocation of land to politically connected individuals, foreign nationals and entities linked to councillors and their associates," they stated.

They further alleged that the tenders are awarded without following proper procedures, with companies owned by Chinese nationals receiving tenders for minor municipal jobs. The residents went on to demand that the KMTC immediately cancel all existing public-private partnerships with developers who have not yet commenced physical development on the allocated land and that no sale of land or lease should proceed unless there's full disclosure of names, nationality and business affiliations.

The group also wants the KMTC to provide a land allocation database and all documents related to land transactions by Thursday next week. KMTC Deputy Mayor Lascan Sikosi received the petition on behalf of the council and promised to study it and forward it to fellow councillors who were absent.