Media Monitoring on Urban Development in Namibia

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2 Media Monitoring on Urban Development in Namibia Media Monitoring on Urban Development in Namibia is a service provided by Development Workshop Namibia (DWN), a Namibian NGO with a focus on sustainable urban development and poverty reduction. DWN is part of a world-wide network of Development Workshop (DW) organisations with centres in Canada, Angola and France, and offices in Vietnam and Burkino Faso. It was founded in the 1970s by three architect students in the UK and has been funded by nongovernmental organisations, private citizens, and national and international development organisations. In Namibia, DWN s activities focus on urban related research, effective urban planning for the urban poor, solutions to informal settlements, water & sanitation, and projects specifically targeting disadvantaged segments of the urban youth. Through 40 years of engagement on urban issues mainly in Africa and Asia, the DW network of organisations has acquired significant institutional knowledge and capacity and is well integrated in regional and international networks. The Namibian media provide an important source of information on urban development processes in the country, highlighting current events, opportunities and challenges. The media further provide insight into the different views and perceptions of a variety of actors, be it from government, nongovernment, private sector, and individuals that reside in Namibia s towns and settlements. It is therefore hoped that DWN s Media Monitoring service will provide insights into those different views, with potential use for a variety of institutions and decision-makers that work in the urban environment in Namibia. The Media Monitoring service is currently provided on a monthly basis and monitors the following newspapers: The Namibian, Republikein, Namibian Sun, New Era, Windhoek Observer, Confidente, and Informante. The articles are grouped into following categories: 1. Urban Planning, Land & Housing 2. Urban Infrastructure and Services 3. Livelihoods and Urban Economy 4. Environment & Human Health The text of the news articles has not been altered and thus reflects the opinion of the respective media outlets, and not that of DWN. We hope you find this service useful and interesting. DWN is keen to improve the service and welcomes suggestions and comments. Compiled by: Esleen Guriras & Alina Nambuli Edited by: Beat Weber Produced by: Development Workshop Namibia Address: 18 Nachtigal Street PO Box 40723, Ausspannplatz Windhoek, Namibia b.weber@dw-namibia.org Yours sincerely, Development Workshop Namibia With support from: Namibian Chamber of Environment 1

3 Index 1 URBAN PLANNING, LAND AND HOUSING Govt houses sold for a song Zambezi waterfront land still owned by Katima council Farmers in tug-of-war with housing contractor Erongo gets 2,689 NHE houses in 24 years Oshakati demolishes illegal shacks Ondangwa avails plots to SDFN Land grabbing drama in Gobabis Mass houses occupied for free in Oshakati Urban land approval to be decentralised Walvis community volunteer to level dunes for housing Walvis community helps shack dwellers to clear land Shack Dwellers on the move Oshakati establishes low-income reception area Fierce opposition to development of Onawa Epic housing crisis 'Behuisingsnood raak almal' :100 huise beplan Illegal structures put Oniipa at risk Development of new extension at Mariental Ondangwa council accused of illegality The challenge of our burgeoning slums URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES Shack fire debate rages CoW to build N.dollars 1.1 billion water reclamation plant City to build N$1,1b water reclamation plant Noordoewer grape workers struggle for potable water New hospital and schools planned for Havana Power to the powerless City seeks water reclamation partner Shanigwa blasts Ongwediva firefighters Ombepo wek krag vir nasionale netwerk Private solar power saves CoW customers N$1.7bn since June Illegal connections not to blame for outages Toegangspaaie in vloedgeteisterde gebiede gebou Betaal munisipale rekeninge vroegtydig: Agterstalliges op 15 Desember afgesny Pay up or face water and lights cuts LIVELIHOODS AND URBAN ECONOMY When 10 police officers ganged up on me Eenhana re-launches jobseekers database Othithiya to boost tourism in Omuthiya Outjo blom

4 3.5 DRC shack full of love for children Nkurenkuru abounds with business opportunities Choppies creates over 50 jobs in Omuthiya Katwitwi residents have until 5 Dec ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH Damme voller as verlede jaar: Noordooste kry dalk reën

5 1 Urban Planning, Land and Housing 1.1 Govt houses sold for a song The Namibian 01/11/2017 Six houses belonging to the state were sold below market value by the works ministry during the 2015/16 financial year. For instance, the ministry sold two houses in Windhoek and one at Otjiwarongo for between N$ and N$ , which was way below the market value. One of the houses in Windhoek's upmarket Olympia suburb was sold for a mere N$ during that financial year. The current average market value for houses in Olympia ranges from N$3 million to N$6 million. This was reflected in auditor general Junias Kandjeke's audit report of the works ministry tabled in the National Assembly last week. He stated in the report that the baseline valuations of government houses were last done in 2003, meaning that houses sold during 2015/16 have been sold way below the market value as the stock of government houses continues to be undervalued. Kandjeke said Cabinet had decided that government houses should be offered for sale at market-related valuations which had to be determined by a qualified valuator, based on the present property market conditions. Apart from that, the auditor general also found that the interest rate of 15, % was not being charged after 90 days as required when government houses had been sold. According to the Cabinet decision... buyers of government houses are required to pay an interest rate of 15, 5% on the purchase price if the transfer of the property into the buyer's name exceeds 90 days from the date the buyers signed a deed of sale, Kandjeke said. The audit also found that the days exceeded were incorrectly calculated, which resulted in the wrong amount being charged, Which caused the state to lose revenue. Although house sales had taken place, Kandjeke found that the ministry's alienation unit had omitted or failed to provide documents, such as clearance certificates from municipalities and the credentials of buyers from the purchase to conclude the sale of the houses to eligible buyers. This state of affairs resulted in the government selling the houses at a lower market value, hence, loss of revenue to the government, he stressed in the report. The ministry also sold six plots during that financial year, but the auditors did not find proof of payment to verify whether the correct amounts had been paid by the buyers. The plots were sold in Windhoek, at Gobabis and Ongwediva. In Windhoek, a plot was sold for N$ , while the one at Gobabis went for N$ The works ministry's spokesperson, Julius Ngweda, yesterday said the ministry used the 2003 valuation scale because it was recommended to them by the land reform ministry's valuators. He quickly added that the ministry has been requesting the valuators to evaluate government properties while considering current market valuations. It's not us who value government properties... they are evaluated by the land reform ministry. We informed them from time to time with regards to the Cabinet decision, but they have refused to adhere to it. Ask them why they did not do it. They just gave us the prices. They do not want to listen to us; now we are losing money because of working with them, Ngweda said. Kandjeke, on the other hand, also raised red flags about the ministry's overall financial management, stating that the ministry had been vulnerable to fraud and the misappropriation of funds during that financial year. Kandjeke said the works department failed to keep proper records of its spending, while also not being able to verify certain amounts paid to the ministry following the sales of houses under the alienation scheme. This was due to the absence of a committee which was supposed to monitor the performance of the internal audit unit, and to ensure the implementation of the recommendations by internal and external auditors to strengthen financial controls. As reflected in Kandjeke's report, and similar to reports of other ministries and government agencies, the works ministry was also unable to detect errors in its finance department, which led to overspending by over N$20 million. The auditor general also took issue with the ministry's risk management framework, which he said was not in place during the financial year. It is recommended that the accounting officer strengthens internal controls to mitigate the risk of misstatements in the financial statement due to errors or fraud, Kandjeke stated. Ngweda confirmed to The Namibian that the ministry has not yet established an audit committee, and that it 4

6 was still waiting for the finance ministry to develop a risk management policy so that we can implement it in our department. There is nothing like an audit committee, but we are planning on having one shortly. We have one internal auditor at the ministry who will set up that committee, Ngweda said. 1.2 Zambezi waterfront land still owned by Katima council The Namibian 01/11/2017 The land donated by the Katima Mulilo Town Council in 2003 for the development of the Zambezi Waterfront Tourism Park is yet to be transferred to the government. The ZWTP was closed in 2016 after a brief spell of operations, following allegations of mismanagement, leaving about 58 people jobless. By that time, the government had invested N$180 million in the first phase of the development on the land that measures 22 hectares. The first phase included site clearing, bulk earthworks, engineering infrastructure, the administration building, 15 bungalows, the camping site, conference facilities and walkways. Addressing a press briefing last week, tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta said the failure to transfer the land into the government's name was holding back progress. The land has not yet been transferred to the government after it was donated by the town council. No one can say that all infrastructure built by the government on the land is the property of the town council. Therefore, we need to settle the transfer of the ownership of the land immediately for the board to start working on the business model of the ZWTP, and get potential investors,'' Shifeta stated. He said there were other requirements the ZWTP had to meet before becoming operational again, such as complying with the Namibian Tourism Board Act, which sets certain standards for tourism facilities, which the ZWTP has not met yet. The ZWTP is still closed for business because we do not have a trading licence, and we still need to do some compliance to ensure that it is an establishment. The compliance requires the ZWTP to have an operational kitchen and a laundry room. The kitchen was demolished because of poor planning, as it was built on the main water pipeline drawing water from the river and supplying the whole of Katima Mulilo,'' the minister explained. Shifeta said the Katima Mulilo municipality had set a condition for the donation of the land that it must have one representative on the board of the ZWTP. This will ensure that the local authority has a stake because they donated the land, and it looks like that was the agreement, which was not brought to my attention before, he continued. Therefore, we requested the mayor to submit two names from the local authority, and I will appoint one.'' Efforts to get a comment from the Katima Mulilo Town Council were unsuccessful yesterday, as questions sent to spokesperson Pasval Elijah went unanswered. 1.3 Farmers in tug-of-war with housing contractor The New Era 01/11/2017 A project intended to reduce the housing backlog in Rundu is well on track despite efforts by some community members to try to stall the project on grounds it has affected their mahangu fields. Those opposed to the housing project feel it should be stopped as they claim it is adverse to their crops. New Era has seen a copy of a letter from Sisa Namandje and Co. Incorporated saying Armstrong Properties and Construction invaded his clients agricultural land, but the construction company says the project is within the 82-hectare plot given to it through an agreement with the Rundu Town Council. Despite the letter from the law firm Armstrong Properties and Construction is adamant the project is on track. Yes we got the letter too but it has nothing to do with us. The town council must respond to that, the project is going ahead. We started with the construction and we are almost done with installing services, said Ferdinand Olavi from Armstrong Properties and Construction. Our instructions are that a few years ago it was agreed between our clients and the council that any development to be 5

7 undertaken by any developer, including Armstrong Construction, should be 100 metres away from our clients agricultural activities. To the surprise of our clients Armstrong interfered with our clients agricultural activities by, inter alia, destroying crops, the letter states. The letter further requested the council to take immediate action and stop Armstrong Company from going ahead failing to do that the council will be held responsible or liable for all damages suffered by the law firm s clients consisting of several community members that reside at Kansukwa, next to the housing project. Sources informed New Era that certain politicians on the council are using the community to fight the project for personal reasons, but the mayor of Rundu, Verna Sinimbo, refused to comment on these allegations and instead referred this reporter to the acting CEO Mathews Naironga, who ignored the reporter s calls after getting the query via WhatsApp. Armstrong Company say they are almost done with installing services such as roads, sewer, water and electrification of the site where the 600 houses fitted with modern facilities and aluminium window frames are to be built starting this month (November). The servicing phase started in May and the actual construction of the houses was supposed to start in June. The construction of the first 100 houses was planned to have been completed by this December, but servicing of the 82-hectare virgin land took longer than expected. According to the developers the housing units will embrace two-bedroom houses with a garage and some with no garage, as well as three-bedroom houses with garage and some without. Currently we have 106 bank-approved applications of clients that are waiting to be handed their keys as soon as we complete their houses, Olavi noted. The company is developing the new suburb on an 82-hectare plot in an area south of the Rundu-Nkurenkuru road in Rundu. The suburb will also have a fuel station, private doctors consulting rooms and a supermarket, to name a few. This project is a private-public partnership between Armstrong Properties and Construction and Rundu Town Council and will be built in two phases the council will get their cut from the plots. This project is the first suburb to be developed by local investors in the town. Rundu has since independence seen developments of suburbs such as Millennium Park, Queens Park and recently Rainbow Village, the old NHE Township also known as Kings Park and the new NHE mass housing township development next to Unam Rundu Campus, as well as the suburb now under construction. The town of Rundu has a housing backlog currently at around 30,000 units, a huge demand for houses, but several projects have been introduced but no houses have been seen being built, and thus residents have placed their hopes on this project which has shown some progress. 1.4 Erongo gets 2,689 NHE houses in 24 years The New Era 01/11/2017 The National Housing Enterprise (NHE), established in 1993 to promote home ownership by Namibians, only built 2,689 houses in 24 years in the entire Erongo Region, which has a waiting list of over 27,000 aspiring homeowners. NHE was created to provide housing solutions to alleviate the national housing need. The institution s waiting list for the region stands at 27,632. The overall national demand for houses, as per the NHE waiting list, stood at 87,473 on September 30. Walvis Bay alone has 18,790 applicants, while more than 50,000 of the town s residents live in shacks, with most of them registered on the council and NHE waiting list. Active clients of NHE who are servicing home loans from the company currently total 4,719 countrywide, of whom 837 are in the Erongo Region. This is according to figures provided by NHE CEO Gisbertus Mukulu last week during an information session at Walvis Bay. Mukulu indicated that the demand for houses also increased in other towns in the region, with Swakopmund having 7,702 residents on the waiting list. In Henties Bay we have 339 applicants, Arandis 147, Omaruru 315, while Karibib and Usakos have 46 and 29 respectively. Khorixas and Outjo, which also fall under the western region, have 88 and 167 applicants, respectively, he said. He said that serviced land still remains a challenge for the institution that currently owns 416 serviced plots and 2,981 unserviced plots countrywide. However,we have been offered 837 unserviced plots by various councils in the country, he said. According to Mukulu, the Karibib Town Council offered the company 71 serviced plots, while the Walvis Bay council offered 374 unserviced plots. Mukulu said 6

8 that NHE does not have any unoccupied houses at Walvis Bay. As you all are aware our mandate was revoked in 2015 already and our new mandate is only to allocated houses. However, we should not forget that the need for housing is now more critical than ever before and calls for a collective approach by all entities. We should all intervene to address the housing shortage in the country, he said. 1.5 Oshakati demolishes illegal shacks The Namibian 02/11/2017 The Oshakati Town Council yesterday demolished six shacks in the Uupindi informal settlement in what the town's public relations officer, Katarina Kamari, said will be an ongoing exercise. She said the council is always on the lookout for illegal structures, which will be demolished promptly. We act as soon as we are informed that structures are being erected illegally so that we stop the construction or demolish them before they are occupied because allowing people to occupy them would require that we issue notifications that are more often than not ignored, Kamari stated. At least six shacks were demolished, while the occupants of three others were given seven days to destroy their own houses and move elsewhere. Namibia is independent, but we Namibians are not yet free, said a female resident who was asked to dismantle her 'house' within seven days. She did not want to be identified. I am unemployed, and it took me a very long time and a lot of effort to erect my house here. Now, I am asked to demolish it within seven days, and move elsewhere. But I cannot do that alone. I will have to hire people to help me dismantle and transport the building materials, and then help me build a new house from scratch. By the way, where am I supposed to move to? I have nowhere else to go, she stressed. Hileni Nghivafe, whose shack was demolished in her absence, said she erected her shack recently, and was planning to move in this week. The town council was supposed to notify us and hear our side of the story before destroying our houses, she lamented. The demolitions promptly attracted a crowd of onlookers, who disapproved of the town council's action, but said the friendliness of those tasked to carry out the demolitions left them bewildered. The demolishers were exceedingly friendly, but firm. They spoke to us in a friendly tone, and even stopped to answer people's questions, said Uupindi resident Max Simana. Those affected were advised to hold a meeting and organise themselves together with other residents and see whether they could temporarily erect their houses at available spots in the settlement, away from the floodplains where they were removed from. A meeting is already scheduled for Saturday. 1.6 Ondangwa avails plots to SDFN The New Era 08/11/2017 In its quest to address the housing shortage and land delivery, Ondangwa Town Council has availed additional land for the construction of 41 houses for the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN). The was revealed at the handover of 40 bags of cement to SDFN from Ohorongo Cement in Ondangwa that like many Namibian urban areas grapples with an acute shortage of residential housing. The 40 houses will add to the existing 104 houses at the town. Ondangwa Mayor Paavo Amwele said the donation of the cement signifies the will to uplift people out of poverty. This occasion marks the donation handing-over to the community to uplift themselves from living in shacks to living in brickwall houses, said Amwele. He dissuaded people from illegal land-grabbing and advised them to seek land in a legal and orderly manner from the town council. The CEO of Ondangwa, Ismael Namgongo, said the council is indebted to the government to provide affordable land and housing to its residents. But Namgongo reckons the council cannot fight the land and housing battle alone, hence he expressed his gratitude to the private sector for coming on board. The manager of Standard Bank Ondangwa, 7

9 Martha Andreas, encouraged the nation to support the buy-a-brick initiative to address the housing shortage. The buy-a-brick initiative is aimed to address the lack of housing for low-income or noincome groups.to this end, 94 houses were constructed to the tune of N$3.4 million through the buya-brick initiative in various towns. The provision of housing is a major priority for all of us. Standard Bank has a long-standing 10-year partnership with the SDF with the objective to empower the federation to provide decent housing to its members, said Andreas.Speaking on behalf of Ohorongo Cement, Ondangwa depot supervisor Jerry Iyambo remarked that shelter is a basic need, which is essential for a healthy and happy life as well as in eradicating poverty. The SDF housing initiative has the ability to have a lighthouse effect and could change the lives of many Namibians, whilst also having a positive effect on the local economy, said Iyambo. 1.7 Land grabbing drama in Gobabis The Namibian Sun 09/11/2017 Gobabis Town Council has been struggling to keep land grabbers at bay, after residents established yet another informal settlement. According to council's public relations officer, Frederick Ueitele, the popping up of shacks and other shelters has been a big problem for the town. He says town council is approaching the issue with caution. The new settlement is located near the Otjinene tar road. According to Ueitele council fears for residents' safety, as the settlements are near the main road, with shack dwellers that have already exceeded established borders. The people in this informal settlement are not all needy or vulnerable, said Ueitele. We have found that some people are registered home owners who grab land to rent out to others in the town. Council worked with the National Housing Action Group and the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia to set up a survey to help these people and to set up agreements. However, Ueitele says some have already started building permanent structures on the land they grabbed. A programme to formalise the area is being put into action where the people will have equally divided erven. Council will also arrange meetings with the inhabitants to inform them of the consequences of their actions and to reach an agreement. According to Ueitele, the issue will go to court if an agreement cannot be reached between the inhabitants and council. Notice has also been given to inform them of upcoming meetings and to warn them to not grab land illegally. Council has previously successfully resettled residents of a former informal settlement. They hope to approach inhabitants of the newer settlements to also resettle them in established areas. According to Ueitele, their success in resettlement has influenced other towns to learn from Gobabis on how to handle the issue. 1.8 Mass houses occupied for free in Oshakati The New Era 09/11/2017 Occupants of the mass housing houses at Oshakati are in limbo about when they will fully acquire full ownership of their houses as they have not started paying for the houses despite occupying them for more than a year now. Occupants of mass houses said they have been fed with conflicting information, leaving them with more questions than answers about the status of ownership of the houses. We were first informed that the money will be paid into an account with the (now defunct) SME Bank and then later we heard that the ministry was not sure whether the money should be paid to the ministry or to NHE. Up to now we are still waiting, said a beneficiary who refused to be named. But the situation is likely to be the same throughout the country. The 209 houses at Oshakati were handed over at Oshakati by the Minister of Urban and Rural Development Sophia Shaningwa in June last year. Around the same time 337 were handed over at Okahao and Oshikuku with the rest of the houses across the country expected to have been handed over by June 25 last year. It has however been 8

10 established that bank deductions were effected on 10 occupants at the end of October. Meanwhile, some said they have been paying rental fees to the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) while some objected to the motion for paying rental fees on their own properties. Why should we pay rental fees for our own properties? If we had started paying for these houses last year when we moved in we would already have paid much, said another resident. They said the situation is disheartening because some had plans to upgrade their houses, but cannot do so until they are assured they are the sole owners of the house. We are only owners on paper there is currently no security, hence one cannot do much, lamented another resident.the concerns over ownership are not new at Ehenye. When the houses were handed over no contractual agreement had been signed with the recipients and the ministry. Those who were furnished with keys at the handover charged that the content of agreement had not been disclosed to them and they were uncertain of the prices of the houses. It was also further established that prices for the force employees such as those of the Namibian Defence Force have been reduced. Questions sent to the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development three weeks ago have not been answered. 1.9 Urban land approval to be decentralised The Namibian 10/11/2017 The time-consuming and bureaucratic procedures for urban land planning, development, approval and delivery will soon be reduced after proposals to decentralise the processes were made. Urban development minister Sophia Shaningwa this week introduced the urban and regional bill in parliament aimed at decentralising the bulk of the spatial planning functions from central government to recognised planning authorities. Once enacted, the proposed law will replace the existing regulations dealing with urban planning. These are the Township Planning Ordinance of 1954, and the Township and Division of Land Ordinance of Shaningwa said the planning approaches were outdated because they were informed by imbalances in access to land and land ownership, as well as discriminatory planning policies and practices prevailing from the colonial South African administration. This hampers the timeous delivery of urban land, hence the need for new legislation to address the past imbalances in respect of access to land as well as to promote national reform objectives, she noted. Currently, the processes of environmental clearance, planning, land surveying and the proclamation of a township go through different channels of authority; starting with the local authorities, to the township board (TB), then the Namibia Planning and Advisory Board (Nampab) and finally to the line minister's desk. This legislative reform will do away with the Namibia Planning and Advisory Board and the Township Board by combining their functions into one body, Shaningwa explained. She added that if decentralised, the process of planning and the approval of various functions (usually done by Nampab and the Township Board), would effectively address developmental challenges and empower local authorities and regional councils. The bill will assist the housing sector to plan proactively in the supply of land for development through planning instruments. Furthermore, the bill will facilitate the decentralisation of planning to regional councils and local authorities, which will ensure the speedy approval of applications, the minister added. If the proposed law becomes a reality, the urban development ministry hopes to cut the delays in land application approval processes and planning applications by 60%. This bill marks the next step in a long campaign for many committed advocates for a better planning system for the fast provision of affordable housing and well-planned urban areas, Shaningwa noted. 9

11 1.10 Walvis community volunteer to level dunes for housing The New Era 13/11/2017 About 500 people on Saturday gathered in Narraville to level dunes where their houses will be build. These are members of the Shack Dwellers Federation and Namibia Housing Action Group who do not have houses, joined by members of the public and business community. Everyone used shovels to shift sand alongside a bulldozer. Erongo Regional Governor Cleophas Mutjavikua initiated the idea of volunteerism to cut the labour costs of servicing land. Brickmaking machines donated to the groups earlier this year are used by community members to make bricks to build their houses. Speaking to Nampa at the site, Co-Director of the Namibia Housing Action Group Heinrich Amushila said Narraville Extension 11 has been cleared and will have 68 plots. He said there is more land for 100 plots still to be cleared in the same area. Overall the municipality approved 368 plots. There is a waiting list of people of whom 148 already received houses last year in Walvis Bay, Amushila said. Saturday also marked the first construction of 100 houses in Narraville. This project was launched by Deputy Minister of Urban and Rural Development Derek Klazen. Klazen said the 68 plots were already approved in 2007 but bureaucracy delayed the process. Central Government, he said, is in the process of speeding up the land delivery process by decentralising some work to regional government. This will be possible through the Urban and Regional Planning Bill which is expected to be discussed later this month in Parliament. I promise you all these long processes will stop, just continue working even if it is not your land today; tomorrow it is yours, said the deputy minister. The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development allocates N$ 7 million to the housing association annually. Walvis Bay Mayor Immanuel Wilfred said this is another milestone in delivering much needed housing to people of the harbour town, while Mutjavikuas advisor, Adelheid Kandjala, encouraged the community to continue working in unison. Companies such as China Harbour Engineering Company, Coastal Precast & Paving, Build it, Pupkewitz MegaBuild, Standard Bank Namibia, FNB Namibia, Neo Paint, and Ohorongo Cement support the associations financially and materially. On Saturday, some provided food and drinks to everyone working at the site. The shifting of sand lasted until the afternoon and is expected to continue next year Walvis community helps shack dwellers to clear land The Namibian 13/11/2017 About people, including beneficiaries of the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia, businesses and politicians rolled up their sleeves on Saturday to level the dunes near Narraville to make way for 68 plots for a low-cost housing development.. The participants, who also included children and the elderly, were armed mostly with shovels, but the use of tractors made child's play of the Namib's dunes. Heinrich Amushila, executive member of the SDFN and the Namibia Housing Action Group (NHAG) said once the earthworks are completed, the construction of the low-cost houses will begin, which will hopefully be next year. We have started the process, and will continue until next year. We are so grateful for the companies' assistance, he told The Namibian, adding that this was how Namibia would prosper: by working together for the good of all. The idea of the exercise is to sensitise our community and private sector to contribute in kind towards affordable land delivery, he noted. The SDFN has more than members, both at Kuisebmond and Narraville, where 148 houses have already been constructed. The houses were handed over by President Hage Geingob about two weeks ago. The groundbreaking ceremony for 100 more houses, funded by the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, was also done at Tutaleni on Saturday. The Walvis Bay municipality allocated 268 plots in 2012, and assisted the federation in completing the plans for the 68 plots at Narraville. The federation has been working hard towards the provision of affordable land and housing for its members who are from the low-income category, such as general workers, domestic workers and those who earn less than N$4 000 per month. On a national level, the SDFN's membership stands at 10

12 over It has savings of N$23 million derived from members' contributions. The savings are used for their members' own needs. Over houses have been constructed in all our regions. First Lady Monica Geingos is the patron of the federation, and government supports us with over N$37 million through the urban development ministry. This has been used to construct houses so far, explained Amushila. Standard Bank contributed N$3,1 million to build 94 houses, while Ohorongo Cement, FNB and the Pupkewitz Foundation contributed N$6 million to build 175 houses. Neo Paints has supported the federation with a donation of paint to the value of N$ All financial contributions have assisted us to construct more houses for our members, he added Shack Dwellers on the move The Namibian Sun 14/11/2017 The deputy minister of urban and rural development, Derek Klazen, says the challenge of providing land and housing is not only the government's concern. Klazen made this statement at the commissioning of the construction of 100 homes by and for the Shack Dwellers' Federation of Namibia at Walvis Bay. He believes that both the private sector and the community have an important role to play in this regard. Housing has gained prominence as one of the key national development priorities and is an important vehicle for addressing poverty and inequality, as well as for bringing about social harmony, economic advancement and ensuring political stability. It is my conviction that the housing challenge is not insurmountable if we, government, the private sector and the community pool our resources and efforts together and develop inclusive, equitable and innovative strategies, such as this initiative, said Klazen. He said the government, through the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development and local authorities such as the Walvis Bay municipality, would continue to support organisations such as the Shack Dwellers' Federation of Namibia, who have demonstrated their commitment and ability to contribute to the national drive towards providing affordable housing and proper sanitation to the community, especially those in the ultra-low and low-income categories. The federation's solution to housing is unique and worth supporting in that it is a case of the community itself taking action to address its own developmental needs. This is a clear testimony of sustainable and people-centred development, and I hereby pledge our continued support. To date, the government's support for housing amounts to N$37.6 million. Under the current financial year, there is a provision for an amount of N$7 million to assist the federation to enable its members to build affordable houses for themselves through initiatives such as the one whose commissioning we are here to witness. This support will continue in the future. He thanked the Walvis Bay municipality for making 100 plots available to the federation. Housing has become a critical issue in Namibia and the provision of decent housing has been made a key developmental priority as encapsulated in Vision 2030, National Development Plans and the Harambee Prosperity Plan. 11

13 1.13 Oshakati establishes low-income reception area The New Era 14/11/2017 The Minister of Urban and Rural Development Sophia Shaningwa has lauded the Oshakati Town Council for setting the trend in establishing a reception area for low-income earners. This is the second time she praises the council, after the minister last year also praised Oshakati for availing affordable land to residents and for successfully implementing the mass urban land servicing project ahead of Windhoek and Walvis Bay. On Monday, the Oshakati Town Council held a ground-breaking ceremony for the servicing of 400 erven of the 3,000 erven earmarked at Onawa. The reception area at Onawa will cater for people in informal settlements such as Sky, Oneshila and Pohamba, said the CEO of Oshakati Town Council Werner Iita after the event. Shaningwa said N$7 million was already set aside to install basic services such as water, electricity and roads as from next January. She said a reception area is very vital because there is currently a high influx of people to towns in search of better and improved services. The minister said the establishment of reception areas would address the lack of land and housing for those flocking to towns in search of services. And because of this our people come to town and find it very difficult because they do not have places to stay sometimes they rent for exorbitant amounts of money. Money which they do not have at all times, said Shaningwa. She said the ministry would not allow people to settle anywhere, adding that the ministry is committed to provide services to people. Every piece of land in the town has a purpose and sometimes you find yourself on land that has a purpose and the moment you are told to vacate you say the politicians are bad so this time we want to be proactive and respond to the needs of people, said Shaningwa. The minister appealed to residents who will be relocated to Onawa to seek better erven once their salaries have improved as the area will cater mostly for people in informal employment. Shaningwa appealed to other local authorities to emulate Oshakati and create reception centres while they service land. People being relocated to Onawa will be charged a minimal fee for municipal services, and she appealed that they honour payments for services rendered. Also speaking at the event, the Governor of Oshana Region, Clemens Kashuupula, complimented the town council for the successful implementation of the mass housing programme. Kashuupulwa said the initiative of a reception area would improve housing conditions and sanitation, and enhance land service delivery Fierce opposition to development of Onawa The New Era 15/11/2017 Some residents of Onawa where the servicing of a reception area for 3,000 people is earmarked for January next year have accused the Oshakati Town Council of paying peanuts for their property to pave way for development. While the Minister of Urban and Rural Development Sophia Shanigwa was attending the ground-breaking ceremony for the first phase of 400 erven at Onawa, aggrieved residents were assembled under a tree at the headman s house, just a few metres away. Their grievances were also displayed in Oshiwambo on a cloth poster, accusing the council of social injustice. The community further alleged the council is relocating them without according them an alternative place to resettle. The community charged they are not defying development, but want the council to reach consensus with the affected community before relocating them. They claim the council has given those who are compensated an order not to plough this year, adding that the council is driving them into poverty. Amongst the people who attended the meeting were those who had not been compensated and those who feel they have not been compensated fairly. Where should I go if I did not find an alternative place for my family and livestock? Some of us are sickly, how do I go to a place where there are no hospitals? Does government not care about us? questioned the headman of Onawa village Job Sheehama. Sheehama appealed to the government to find alternative places for the people to be resettled. However, the chief executive officer (CEO) at the town Werner Iita dismissed the allegations, saying they are devoid of truth. Iita said the compensation policy is very clear and as 12

14 such residents of Onawa who stand to be relocated have been given alternative plots. Some wanted to build immediately and were given plots at Ehenye and Ekuku. Giving plots within their field is currently impossible because the area needs to be demarcated properly, surveyed and serviced, but once we are done people can come back and claim their plots, said Iita. Iita said residents are issued with receipts of property values and once a consensus is reached they sign a compensation agreement, which would be paid accordingly. The CEO said that where council has made an omission, residents are advised to liaise with council. So far 97 homesteads were compensated while eight are still to be compensated. The minister appealed to those who are not pleased with their compensation to consult the council, adding that the ministry has a responsibility to build the country and negotiate compensation packages. Shaningwa appealed to the council to conclude the compensation process in order to fast-track development. Community members who attended the ground-breaking ceremony accused people at the headman s meeting of crying foul after they had misused their money. Many of us were compensated and many have used up their money now they are running around holding meetings, said a man from the crowd who had assembled to read the poster Epic housing crisis The Namibian Sun 16/11/2017 A new Namibian book on the explosive growth of informal settlements in Namibia warns that unless serious efforts and a shift in strategies are urgently undertaken to provide affordable urban homes, more than shacks will exist by 2030 that will house around two million people. The authors of the just-released Informal Settlements in Namibia: Their Nature and Growth, John Mendelsohn and Beat Weber, who studied the subject for more than a year, argue that in order to prevent around half of the country's population living in shacks within 13 years, affordable land, instead of houses, are key. To address the housing crisis of Namibia's low-income urban residents, the focus should shift from the provision of housing towards the provision of affordable land. One of seven detailed recommendations the book urges is that government and local authorities should supply land with a minimum of cost and at maximum speed. The construction of houses should be in the hands of the residents, and they should be allowed to build at their own pace, with a minimum of obstacles and a maximum of encouragement. The authors say that the provision of low-cost urban land can be done on a cost recovery basis, as detailed in the book, and that this would attract the private sector to support these initiatives. In 1991, 86% of Namibia's homes were formal brick houses, compared to 12% shacks. In 2001, 77% of homes were formal brick while 21% were shacks. The 2011 figures showed that shacks had increased to 32%, with formal brick homes reduced to 32% of all houses in Namibia. By 2023, it is estimated that urban shacks will outnumber all rural houses, and all formal urban brick houses by 2025, making shacks, at the current expansion rate, the predominant housing type by that year, in Namibia. Change of ideas The authors also list two of the reasons the national housing programmes to date have had little impact on stemming informal settlement growth. These programmes tend to focus on the provision of finished houses at prices that are unaffordable for most low-income residents, and the scale of the national housing programmes has been insufficient to effectively address the demand for land and housing by low-income migrants. It is estimated that around shacks are built annually in Namibia, and that urban growth overall is mainly fuelled by the rapid expansion of informal settlements. The authors warn that the economic, social and environmental costs of informal growth and unplanned urban development are huge for Namibia as a country and as a society. The new forms of poverty and inequality experienced by the residents of these informal urban settlements will be entrenched over generations to come if towns fail to develop in ways that facilitate the transition from rural to urban society. It is estimated that in 2011, almost urban (excluding 13

15 rural) residents had no access to toilet facilities. Mendelsohn estimated that by now that figure could be at Providing access to land for homes provides one of the very basic conditions for households to build security investments, become an integral part of the formal town and contribute to its economic base and public funds, the authors found. Mendelsohn said it is in the interest of local authorities, some of which he says have begun implementing pre-emptive steps to transform informal areas into formal areas such as Otjiwarongo, to tackle the issue, even if it is step by step. If we calculate the losses of money of all those people living in informal settlements, and not contributing to rates and taxes, the amounts are staggering. He said most informal settlements receive such a large influx because the formal housing market does not provide affordable options. The book describes how people from impoverished rural areas, if provided with homes in urban areas that provide them with confidence, services, security and long-term outlooks, can be economically productive. The integration of low-income residents into the formal land market will also raise public funds from rates and taxes for the betterment of all. Poverty, in itself, has little to do with families living in shacks, and instead, implementing pre-emptive town planning based on the in-migration rates, and making affordable land available, could slow down, and eventually, stop the need for shacks 'Behuisingsnood raak almal' :100 huise beplan Republikein 16/11/2017 Die adjunkminister van stedelike en landelike ontwikkeling, mnr. Derek Klazen, sê die uitdaging om erwe en huise beskikbaar te stel is nie net die regering se probleem nie. Klazen het die afgelope naweek 'n toespraak op Walvisbaai by die bekendstelling van die Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN) se projek gelewer. Met hierdie projek gaan 100 laekostehuise opgerig word. Klazen het by die geleentheid 'n beroep op die privaat sektor en die gemeenskap gedoen om by die proses betrokke te raak. Behuising is een van die sleutelprioriteite in nasionale ontwikkeling en 'n belangrike instrument waardeur armoede-uitwissing en ongelykheid getakel kan word. Verder skep dit maatskaplike harmonie, ekonomiese vooruitgang en verseker politieke stabiliteit. Klazen is oortuig daarvan dat die behuisingsuitdaging nie onoorkombaar is indien die regering, die privaat sektor en die gemeenskap saamwerk nie. Ons moet ons bronne saamvoeg en inklusiewe, innoverende strategieë soos hierdie inisiatief ontwikkel. Volgens Klazen sal die regering deur die ministerie van stedelike en landelike ontwikkeling, asook plaaslike owerhede soos die Walvisbaai-munisipaliteit, volhou om organisasies soos die SDFN te steun wat toon hulle is toegewyd aan die nasionale veldtog om bekostigbare huise en sanitasie aan arm mense te verskaf. Dié federasie se oplossing vir die behuisingsprobleem is uniek, aangesien die gemeenskap self die voortou neem en hul ontwikkelingsuitdagings takel. Dit is 'n duidelike voorbeeld van volhoubare en mensgerigte ontwikkeling en ek beloof hiermee ons volgehoue ondersteuning, het hy gesê. Tot dusver het die regering N$37,6 miljoen se steun aan soortgelyke ontwikkeling bestee. In die huidige boekjaar is N$7 miljoen vir die werksaamhede van die federasie begroot sodat lede bekostigbare huise vir hulself kan bou. Klazen sê hierdie finansiële steun sal in die toekoms voortduur. Hy het die munisipaliteit vir die beskikbaarstelling van 100 erwe vir die projek bedank Illegal structures put Oniipa at risk The Namibian Sun 17/11/2017 The newly proclaimed town council of Oniipa in the Oshikoto Region is frustrated by people building illegally on municipal land. Mayor Immanuel Kambonde has warned that the continued construction of these illegal structures within the town boundaries might lead to the downgrading of Oniipa to a village. Kambonde told Namibian Sun that there were over illegal structures within the town's 14