The City of Windhoek is planning two townships as it seeks to alleviate overcrowding and poor housing conditions in informal settlements, an official has revealed.
In March 2020, the Municipal Council of Windhoek conducted a rapid numbering of informal structures in all the informal settlements, and a total of 48,233 informal structures were recorded.
Of that total, 3,394 were in the Khomasdal Constituency, 9,052 in Moses Garoeb Constituency, 21,241 in the Samora Machel Constituency, and 14,546 in the Tobias Hainyeko Constituency.
“Sample surveys conducted in the four constituencies recorded an average household size of 3.8 persons per household. Using the average size of 3.8 persons per household, the number of people living in Windhoek’s informal settlement is estimated at 183,285 inhabitants. Given the above, it is without a shadow of a doubt that the proposed development is highly needed to address informality and guarantee the project beneficiaries’ security of tenure and access to basic services,” Windhoek Mayor Joseph Uapingene said.
He said the municipality has approved the layout, to be established on Farm 1033 (a portion of Farm 999), to be known as Otjomuise Extension 14, with Otjomuise Extension 15 to be established on another on a similar portion of land.
“Otjomuise extension 14 township is designated for low-income groups and will serve as a relocation site for people from overcrowded informal settlements during the upgrading phase. The site Farm 1033 is located along Matshitshi Street, southwest of the Goreangab Dam and north of Otjomuise Extension 10,” the Mayor said.
The land measures 35.8 hectares and will comprise 126 erven. Meanwhile, extension 15 is earmarked for low-income groups and equally to serve as a relocation site for households from existing overcrowded informal settlements when such settlements are being formalised.
“The farm is vacant and is 23.3 hectares in extent and was created as a result of the subdivision of Farm 999 (a portion of Farm R/508) into Farms 1032,1033 and the Remainder. Namibia is currently experiencing urbanisation and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future as long as urban areas are seen as a symbol of hope from abject poverty. Through Vision 2030, the country set for itself a goal to become a developed country by the year 2030 and further, to have about 70% of its population urbanised,” he said.
This comes as the City of Windhoek has so far constructed a total of 700 low-cost housing units in its informal settlements at a cost of N$120 million.
The project launched in 2020 seeks to construct 1,200 low-cost houses in various informal settlements and has a budget provision of N$250 million.
According to the Association of Local Authorities in Namibia, Namibia requires about 50,000 housing units to be constructed countrywide in the next 10 years to solve the country’s housing crisis.
