EENHANA – A shortage of decent and affordable housing is one of the major challenges faced by the Namibia Association of Local Authority Officers (Nalao), with an estimated 50 000 households living in informal settlements in local towns across the country. Nalao now hopes that the first phase of the government’s mass housing development programme would address the problem, said Nalao president Victor Agostinho Thipigo at the opening of Nalao’s annual general meeting at Eenhana last week.
“We need to continually engage with government to find solutions in the development of land and the approval of certain projects. Although we have made substantial progress over the years in the provision of housing for our people, and for commercial and residential purposes, this will continue to be a priority during our term of office,” said Thipigo.
The Minister of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development, (Rtd) Major General Charles Namoloh, said the second phase of the mass housing progamme is being finalised for tabling in parliament with the only outstanding item being the drafting of the regulations for implementation.
The local council association re-emphasised the critical shortage of affordable housing as a socio-economic crisis in Namibia, with the largest backlog of housing being among the lowest income earners. Whereas the Build Together Programme focuses on people earning less than N$3 000 a month, the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) provides for those earning above N$5 000, who constitute less than 13 percent of the Namibian population.
“A key change in the Bill is that we will do away with the Nampab and Township Board as two separate boards but we will only have one National Planning Board to guide planning in Namibia. We need local authorities who have politicians with a clear vision of where they want to take their towns and cities as we approach Vision 2030,” said Namholo.
Namholo also took a swipe at local authorities that are always busy with infighting, suspending their chief executive officers and travelling “up and down” without any vision while leaving the ratepayers suffering at their own expense.
“Without a proper working relationship between the political leadership and the professional and managerial leadership at the local authority level, we will not be able to achieve proper development and service delivery in our towns. Stop this infighting and suspension of your CEOs,” he appealed.