Venaani takes aim at City over housing failures
• Politician has long-awaited meeting with mayor
The PDM leader also questioned the lack of technological advancement pertaining to pensioners.
Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) president McHenry Venaani last week paid a courtesy visit to Windhoek mayor Joseph Uapingene to discuss Namibia's housing demand, among other things.
According to him, he has been waiting for a meeting with the mayor for over a month and was relieved to be able to discuss various issues.
"We must get a functioning city. There are various problems that can be noticed, starting with not delivering on the promises of land made to the people.
“After every five years, people are promised housing and then don't get housing, so the problem of shanty towns remains a critical issue. What steps are being put in place to mitigate the challenge of land delivery in our city?" Venaani wanted to know.
The politician further questioned the lack of technological advancement pertaining to pensioners.
"We are sitting with pensioners who are being inundated with several debts, but the City - 33 years after independence - has not developed a fully functional system of electricity and water meters.
“Why are we paying bills on estimation and not the actual amounts we use? People are losing so much resources and pensioners' houses are being taken away because they are being charged on estimation and not for what they actually consume," he said.
Subsidisation
Venaani told Namibian Sun that there is discord between the functionality of local and central government. He suggested a dialogue with President Hage Geingob on the issues of city subsidisation.
"Without subsidising a city such as Windhoek for land delivery, there will be no homes. For 33 years people have been living in shacks. You can afford to buy bricks and build a house, but the land on which you want to do so is not yours.
“The City needs to see how it can start giving land at a minimal cost, and in turn, make money from services rendered on the land," he said.
According to him, he has been waiting for a meeting with the mayor for over a month and was relieved to be able to discuss various issues.
"We must get a functioning city. There are various problems that can be noticed, starting with not delivering on the promises of land made to the people.
“After every five years, people are promised housing and then don't get housing, so the problem of shanty towns remains a critical issue. What steps are being put in place to mitigate the challenge of land delivery in our city?" Venaani wanted to know.
The politician further questioned the lack of technological advancement pertaining to pensioners.
"We are sitting with pensioners who are being inundated with several debts, but the City - 33 years after independence - has not developed a fully functional system of electricity and water meters.
“Why are we paying bills on estimation and not the actual amounts we use? People are losing so much resources and pensioners' houses are being taken away because they are being charged on estimation and not for what they actually consume," he said.
Subsidisation
Venaani told Namibian Sun that there is discord between the functionality of local and central government. He suggested a dialogue with President Hage Geingob on the issues of city subsidisation.
"Without subsidising a city such as Windhoek for land delivery, there will be no homes. For 33 years people have been living in shacks. You can afford to buy bricks and build a house, but the land on which you want to do so is not yours.
“The City needs to see how it can start giving land at a minimal cost, and in turn, make money from services rendered on the land," he said.
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