As Namibia’s urban population grows, the need for serviced land and housing is mounting, which results in the growth of poorly serviced informal settlements. These settlements are often far from jobs, services and social and economic amenities, thus further depriving those living on the outskirts of towns and cities. New Era (NE) senior journalist Albertina Nakale engaged Okahandja CEO Alphons Tjitombo (AT) on its promises to formalise the ever-increasing informal settlements in the garden town.
NE: Since you took office, what are some of the developmental plans for Okahandja, which has lost its position as the ‘garden town’?
AT: Council has embarked on a business model of putting in place a strategic plan and establishing a business forum where stakeholders can engage the council on developmental matters. The strategic plan development is at an advanced stage, assisted by NALAO [Association of Local Authority Officers], and it is projected to be implemented together with the performance management system by July 2022.
NE: Land is an emotive issue. Since the 2020 lifting of the moratorium on the sale of land in Okahandja, how has council been able to control land grabbing by residents, especially around the Ekunde informal settlement?
AT: Land grabbing is a challenge faced by all local authorities in the country, and Okahandja municipality is not an exception. The council is delivering on its promise to formalise the informal settlements of Ekunde Proper, Ekunde Extension 1 and 2, Oshetu Proper, Oshetu Extension 1 and Oshetu Extension 2. Council has appointed the services of SPC to apply to the planning board for these formalisations. Once these townships have been proclaimed, the council will award existing occupants with the security of tenure.
NE: Land grabbing is still evident in informal settlements such as Ekunde on the outskirts of the town. What is the council doing to ensure people get affordable land instead of resorting to land grabbing?
AT: Council has appointed the services of a consultant for the renewal of the township board certificates for new townships with the urban and regional planning board, which includes the Ekunde Proper (unofficial land, known as Promised land); Ekunde Extension 1 (unofficially known as Vergenoeg); Ekunde Extension 2 & 3 and Veddersdal Extension 2 & 3.
Council, at its ordinary meeting, held on 24 February 2022, resolved through the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, instruct the Attorney General’s Office to apply for a court order to evict any person or persons who occupied or will occupy or grab land without council’s permission within its municipal boundaries.
The council’s decision has already been communicated to the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, and the council is waiting for the feedback from the Attorney General’s Office via the line ministry.
Once the court eviction order has been obtained, the council will implement the court order with immediate effect.
NE: How many houses did the council build and allocate during the 2021/2022 financial year?
AT: Council has not embarked on building houses but rather provides serviced land to people to construct their own, one such initiative was Shack Dwellers’ Federation, which has constructed 20 houses – and we handed over to owners in August 2021, whereby another plus minus 19 houses are under constructions.
NE: How many houses are expected to be built and allocated for this financial year?
AT: Council is currently looking at a partnership with NHE to service and construct houses, and the figure will be known later once all logistics, paper work and procedures are finalised. Hence, council is looking at introducing the Build Together Project to finance low-income groups.
NE: Does Okahandja have a housing backlog? If so, what is the council doing about it?
AT: Municipality of Okahandja has a backlog of housing like any other local authority, and the council is looking at possible ways to speed up land delivery; one such initiative is the flexible land tenure to accelerate the land delivery process – Five Rand Extension 3 & 4.
NE: Some of the Okahandja’s roads are in a sorry state, with residents complaining that the potholes are damaging their vehicles. What is the council doing about the large potholes in the town?
AT: For the past three years or more, council has embarked on rehabilitation of aging roads – and currently, the council is also considering constructing and maintaining gravel roads in the township where there were no roads and subsequent to also upgrade to tarred roads as funds to become available.
NE: Kindly tell us some of the major capital projects that have been realised during the last financial year?
AT: Council completed the road rehabilitation of Voertrek Street from Spar to the municipality head office, the road from Piet’s Biltong to the circular near Shell Services Station on the way to Vedersdal as well as the road from Multi C Save/Indongo Toyota to the robots and the implementation of the valuation roll. Lithon Project Consultants have been appointed for the design, documentation, management and supervision of the installation of sewer and water network services. Hence, 90% of the design and documentation work have been completed.
NE: Rubbish lies uncollected around the locations of Okahandja for years. Why is the municipality failing to collect piles of rubbish gathered along the streets while residents are paying rates and taxes monthly?
AT: The council has placed an advert in the newspapers to outsource this function to improve the refuse collection capacity.
NE: Residents of Osona have recently complained about the newly approved rates and taxes, saying they are too high in this economic crisis. Tell us more about the new rates and taxes as approved by the council, and was the Okahandja-Osona community included in the consultation on these new changes?
AT: Local authorities are required in terms of Section 66 of the Local Authorities Act, Act 23 of 1992, as amended, to carry out a general valuation of rateable properties situated within the local authority area of Okahandja, of which Osona is also part. In terms of this particular section referred to above, the municipality sought ministerial approval to place a notice in the government gazette, declaring that a general valuation of all rateable property situated within the Okahandja local authority area would be held with effect from a date determined and made known by council in the notice.
Thereafter, further notices were also placed in widely circulating newspapers to also inform the residents of the process that was going to be undertaken as well as informing residents to allow the valuer appointed access to their properties to enable him to exercise his duties as per Section 67 of the principal act.
The draft valuation or provisional valuation roll was thereafter compiled and was made available to all residents of Okahandja, including Osona, to inspect the provisional roll and the notice to inspect the provisional roll was also advertised in two widely circulating newspapers, urging residents to inspect the provisional valuation roll, and to submit objections against the valuations compiled by the valuer. The process of allowing residents to inspect and lodge objections against the provisional valuations ran for a period of one month.
Objections against the provisional valuation roll is a right that every homeowner is granted under Section 69 of the principal act to allow him or her to submit in writing an objection against the provisional valuation roll; the objection is examined by the valuation court established, which determines the merits of the objections and makes a ruling. The right to object falls away when an owner of a rateable property fails to lodge an objection within the specified period of objections (usually one month).
The valuation court was established in terms of Section 68 of the Principal Act; this court considered all valuations with their objections – and thereafter determined the general valuation roll of the Okahandja local authority area.
Furthermore, if residents are aggrieved by the ruling or decision of the valuation court in terms of their objections lodged, residents are further granted the right to appeal at the high court of Namibia.
Therefore, rates and taxes are a result of the application of the rate factor determined in terms of Section 73 of the principal act against the valuations of the land and improvements.
It was anticipated that rates and taxes would increase exponentially after the approval of the valuation roll and the council revised the applicable rate factors to minimise the rate of increase and its implications on residents, bearing in mind conditions in the economy.
The rate factor used to calculate rates and taxes was revised and submitted for gazetting on the 28 October 2021, and the government gazette was published on the 1 December 2021.
Council thereafter implemented the general valuation roll.
We have subsequently discovered that properties zoned general residential in Okahandja, including Osona, are mostly the ones that are adversely affected by the increase in rates and taxes.
Council has appointed a committee to look into all concerns from the community regarding rates and taxes.
This committee will report its findings to the council with recommendations to enable the council to make an informed decision to remedy the problems being experienced.
We recently had a successful meeting with Osona village homeowners’ association, and we agreed we would have a follow-up meeting with a way forward after the council pronounces itself on the matter.