Khorixas residents, council clash over VTC site

THE construction of the Kunene Vocational Training Centre is underway, despite residents opposing plans by the Khorixas Town Council to remove a number of facilities to make way for the project.

The N$800 million project is one of the region’;s biggest undertakings at Khorixas, and the construction will take place after the relocation of sewage ponds, an auction kraal, and the diversion of a river passing through the site.

However, over the past three years, talks have been held between the community and government officials on where the construction should take place. Groundwork for the project already started in June this year.

Some residents have suggested that the unoccupied vast land on the outskirts of Khorixas should be used for the construction instead of relocating the auction kraals, the sewage ponds or diverting the river as well as closing the cemetery. Others feel the 25-hectare plot was ideal for the construction of the vocational training centre (VTC). The multimillion-dollar contract was awarded to the China Civil Engineering and Oshilongo Investments joint venture.

The Namibian visited the VTC site last week, and found trucks on site using sand to divert the flow of the river. Additionally, the town had already approved a site for the construction of new auction kraals as the old kraal is on the site for the proposed VTC.

The council also decided to close down the cemetery and move the sewage pond, both of which are a stone’;s throw from where the new VTC will be.

The town’;s chief executive officer, Albertus !Howoseb, last week told that he could not say how much the diversion of the river, as well as the removal and relocation of the auction kraal and the sewage pond would cost. He, however, said the budget only increased to around N$800 million, while adding that the plot suggested by the community was already allocated for another training centre.

“The project is a godsend for this community. The VTC construction is a massive investment for Khorixas, and its set-up would attract investment and assist in employment creation,” he enthused.

!Howoseb said despite concerns raised on the specific location of the training centre site, all procedures have been complied with in terms of the law.

Senior !Aodaman Traditional Authority councillor Samson Awaseb said the community was not consulted, and were only informed about the site for the construction when it had already been decided on.

“We were unhappy, and gave them a second option to build at a different site, but this suggestion was not accepted. Now, the kraal has to be moved, and we are not even sure an environmental impact assessment (EIA) was carried out. It does not make sense to me that despite all the vast land, we had to choose this place where the sewage and cemetery stand. The river has to be diverted; this does not make sense to me. Costs are bound to increase,” stressed Awaseb.

He also questioned whether a separate EIA was carried out on the river diversion, as well as the location of the new sewage ponds and cemetery.

Higher education minister Itah Kandjii-Murangi told over the weekend that the issue of consultation was tackled back in 2016, and a delegation of two people representing the community had voiced their concerns.

“I am not one to do things outside the liking of the community we are trying to serve. When the idea of this VTC site came to us and I learnt of this perception, we were fortunate to have a delegation of two people from Khorixas coming to us.

“I had told the Namibia Training Authority that we would not proceed, and that we must get the feeling of the community. Two people came and raised this same issue, and I said if there is this problem, we would not go ahead, and we would then take it to the governor to address it,” explained the minister.

She added that the late Angelika Muharukua, who was the regional governor at the time, came back in early 2017 to say that the community agreed with the site, and that the EIA had been done.

“We cannot delay development for our people, and our youth are terribly affected. This will change things in the region,” said Kandjii-Murangi.

Kunene governor Marius Sheya refused to comment on the issue of the site or possible rise in costs, saying the N$700 million was aimed at covering all possible costs, including the removal of the auction kraal and the diversion of the river, amongst others.

“The VTC [blueprint] was designed for that area, and the budget is in that range. If we relocate it to another area, it would carry additional costs. But we are keeping to this location due to the consensus we reached as a region. We are working with the government, so no additional funds will be spent,” he said.

He expressed hope that the leadership of the region would give the youth a stepping stone so that those who graduate from the VTC can be job-creators, and not job-seekers.