African Governments Need to Create Political Space for Engaging Youths: AU Youth EnvoyInterdict lodged for planned Otjomuise mass housing occupation

African Union Special Envoy on Youth, Chido Mpemba, urged African governments to widen political space for participation of the youth. Speaking to ENA, the special envoy noted that Africa has promising opportunities as most of its population is youth. Engaging this productive section of society in the political, economic and social spheres on the continent at the expected level could play pivotal role to ensure sustainable development and benefits of the people, she said. Noting that attempts to seize power by force and conflicts in Africa and attendant problems causing harms on youths and countries, she urged to change this course of political engagement and nurture democracy. To this effect, engaging youths in political process, building their capacity and putting in place new perspectives to address backward practices are essential, she emphasized. To realize the Africa we aspire in 2063, African governments are expected to engage and exploit the potentials of the youth in all fields and meet continen tal aspirations, Mpemba stressed. The African Youth Charter adopted by the AU's seventh ordinary summit in Banjul, Gambia in July 2006 stipulates that Africa's biggest asset is its young population. Source: Ethiopian News Agency WINDHOEK: Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni and Calgrokuumba Planning and Design, a construction company, have dragged the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters activist Michael Amushelelo to court, to stop the planned occupation of houses in Windhoek's Otjomuise residential area on 29 February. The urgent interdict seeks to prevent Amushelelo and any other 'unauthorised' persons from unlawfully gaining access to the houses or erecting any structure on the property. Andries Olivier the Chief Executive Officer of Calgrokuumba Planning and Design, in his affidavit said that the property in question is a mixture of developed and undeveloped erven, all of which are fenced off. According to him, all the erven are lawfully occupied although only a few contain completed houses fit for occupation and as such are already inhabited by people. 'There are several erven of phase b that are privately owned and do not form part of the mass housing development programme,' Olivier said. He further stress ed that his company is in lawful possession and control of the property, as agreed upon with the National Housing Enterprise in 2014. The agreement, he said, was that they would build 1 187 houses at Otjomuise's Extension 10 on behalf of the government. 'The 362 houses, which the respondents are targeting for unlawful occupation, are incomplete and unfit for human occupation because services for sewerage, water and electricity still need to be installed,' he added. On Thursday afternoon, a group of approximately 20 people gathered at the Windhoek High Court to file their notice to defend the interdict. Amushelelo, who is leading the group, told Nampa that over 6 000 people have registered to occupy the said houses on 29 February 2024. He said that the group will represent themselves. 'We are all laymen, unfortunately we have not secured the services of a lawyer that is why we are filing our notices by ourselves to defend our rights for proper housing. There is nothing in law that prevents us from occupying those houses,' Amushelelo told this agency. Source: The Namibia Press Agency