Housing crisis worsening

At independence, only 3% of the Namibian population lived in informal housing, according to economist Namene Kalili.

He said this percentage had grown to 34% of all Namibians before the recent census.

Windhoek lacks proper housing units for 40% to 45% of the residents who now survive in informal housing.

Land delivery has not kept pace, he said.

"Everyone needs a place to stay," he stressed.

Kalili, Angusto Bernardo Kamolokamwe, Mutonga Matali, and Keuuavali Neshila were discussing housing during the latest Sanlam Brief series broadcast on Wednesday last week.

"It's a crisis," Kalili said, "especially for urban areas, because once you exceed 50% informal housing, you become a 'slum-city,' and it is very difficult to come back from there." According to him, local authorities nationwide are facing a perfect housing storm.

Urgent action needed

Kamolokamwe of the National Housing Action Group (NHAG), which supports the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN), said the demand for housing is critical because a house in Namibia has become a commodity.

"What is the true market value of a house? We urgently need a property price index," he said.

According to Kalili, with the average income of workers in Namibia at N$20 000 a month, an average house should cost around N$700 000, while it now costs N$1.5 million.

National Housing Enterprise (NHE) spokesperson Matali acknowledged that "the situation is truly dire and requires urgent correction."

According to him, out of an estimated nationwide housing shortage of about 400 000, NHE needs to build 107 000 houses.

Taking into account the central Windhoek area, NHE needs to build 33 000 houses, according to Matali. Another 35 000 are needed in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, and another 22 000 houses are needed in the north of the country.

"From the NHE perspective, there was previously a mismatch between policy and resource allocation, but the revised policy is aligned with the national budget," he explained.

Matali said some of the homeless along the coast are beneficiaries of houses built during the mass housing project, which are still being allocated on a gradual basis.

Nationwide programmes

There is also more funding available for the upgrading of informal settlements. NHE recently handed over 113 upgraded houses in Windhoek, where informal settlement upgrading is being piloted.

"This success has convinced us that we can make a nationwide impact with this," said Matali.

He added that there are discussions to implement the initiative in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay as well.

Matali also advised that informal settlement residents with ownership of their land should approach the NHE, a relevant village council or regional council, to participate in the upgrading projects. NHE offers low-cost houses ranging from N$90 000 to N$200 000, he explained.

Neshila, the founder and director of Kamau Town Planning & Development Specialist, said the provision of land poses a major bottleneck.

Kalili said the answer could be a new entity specifically focused on the swift and affordable provision of land nationwide. "The solution must be a new player with a new approach and perspective to deliver land. Someone who can get things done," he said.