No response yet on Northlands challenge

THE Helao Nafidi Town Council this week declined to comment on a letter written to them by the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), criticising the council’s decision to give the green light to developers to build the Northland City Complex at the town.

The town’s Chief Executive Officer, Christiaan Shivolo, told The Namibian that the council was still scrutinising the letter and would only comment on it once they had finished doing so. He did not say when that would be.The LAC recently advised residents of Omafo village, whose homesteads and mahangu fields will have to make way for the Northland City development, to apply for a High Court order to stop the Helao Nafidi Town Council from going ahead with the development.In a letter to the Town Council, LAC Director Norman Tjombe said it appeared that the alienation of the piece of land on which the proposed shopping and entertainment complex will be erected was not subjected to the town council’s tender committee, which made the legality of the alienation questionable.The letter also noted that any alienation of the residents’ properties would only be possible with just compensation.The LAC argues further that its clients were not aware of any environmental or social impact assessment study.He did not say when that would be.The LAC recently advised residents of Omafo village, whose homesteads and mahangu fields will have to make way for the Northland City development, to apply for a High Court order to stop the Helao Nafidi Town Council from going ahead with the development.In a letter to the Town Council, LAC Director Norman Tjombe said it appeared that the alienation of the piece of land on which the proposed shopping and entertainment complex will be erected was not subjected to the town council’s tender committee, which made the legality of the alienation questionable.The letter also noted that any alienation of the residents’ properties would only be possible with just compensation.The LAC argues further that its clients were not aware of any environmental or social impact assessment study.