SWAKOPMUND – The Swakopmund council has restored the hopes of the Democratic Resettlement Community (DRC) residents by making homeownership a reality for almost 800 families. DRC residents living on the outskirts of Swakopmund have been yearning for affordable land and homes for decades as they were subjected to unhygienic living conditions and shack fires that claimed many lives over the years.
The informal settlement that was established in 1999 as people flocked to the town for greener pastures, became home to thousands who could not afford rental properties or housing through traditional means, as a result increasing the town’s housing backlog to 22 000 units to date. However, homeownership came into sight on Sunday afternoon when the council handed over 800 certificates to its residents that not only allowed them access to land but made owning a home a reality.
Swakopmund mayor Dina Namubes, during the handover, said that the ownership certificates now also allow residents to access basic services such as water and electricity.
“We recognise the important role that we as a council have and that access to land and housing remains our greatest priority toward our residents. Thus, we wish to ensure that the provision of decent shelter is indeed implemented timeously,” she said.
According to Namubes, the settlement has been facing challenges such as limited access to basic services, lack of proper housing and limited economic opportunities. She said DRC is currently divided into three areas, namely Wagdaar, DRC Proper, and Portion 184. There are also two new portions: 182 and 183 allocated to the three housing groups next to Wagdaar. “However, the greatest success to date has been the servicing of the DRC Proper erven and the implementation of Flexible Land Tenure (FLT) at Wagdaar. Another significant accomplishment was obtaining legitimacy and approval from residents to eventually give ownership. This was achieved through numerous public meetings and engagements. The result thereof is ownership certificates for erven, enabling them to gain access to municipal services and awarding them the ability to construct permanent structures,” she said.
Also speaking at the handover, Erongo governor Neville Andre said adequate housing is a crucial part of human wellbeing, health and development. He added that it is pleasing to note that Namibia through towns such as Swakopmund has made some progress in terms of addressing many challenges around housing and land provision. “Government has, for example, driven the mass housing initiative, which focuses among other issues on the provision of affordable housing units in selected towns and the servicing of municipal land for residential purposes. I am, therefore, overjoyed this afternoon to note that through another government policy, the FLT, as implemented, gave over 800 access to land at Swakopmund,” Andre said.
Additionally, he said, Swakopmund must be applauded for this important milestone although it might have taken a long time to realise it.