A group of homeless people who have started occupying land illegally behind the Katutura Youth Centre in Windhoek are accusing the City Police officers of moving them to the area.

Some say they were promised by the law enforcement that the City of Windhoek would provide them with residential plots after they were moved from the Eros refuse site.

More than 30 shacks have been erected since the weekend, and the number continues to grow.

Some areas are cordoned off, and those who have set up say they won't take their shacks down.

Among the occupants are members of the OvaHimba community who were accommodated at the Katutura Sports Stadium during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.

City Police spokesperson Marceline Murapo said police officers are not mandated to relocate homeless people and said such actions would encourage illegal occupation of land.