Uakutura Kambaekua

The Outjo Municipality’s housing crisis has emerged as one of its most pressing issues, with rapid population growth and rising economic gaps leading to a lack of affordable homes.

This has prompted the council to devise new plans to accommodate the growing population.

The council currently needs more than N$18 million to develop land and build houses, which may include infrastructure improvements including roads, water supply, sanitation and electricity.

Outjo’s population has increased by more than 63% during the last 10 years, and currently stands at 19 743, primarily due to people from rural areas seeking job opportunities following the lengthy drought that has wrecked their livelihoods.

In an interview with Nampa on Monday, Outjo Municipality public relations officer Rivonia Roman indicated that the inflow of people to the town presents a challenge for the council, particularly in the informal settlements, in terms of potable water and sewer facilities.

“The council has enough plots to accommodate the inflow of residents to the town; the only issue is that the plots are not serviced. We have an extension in Outjo town, Extension Four, that is fully declared and registered at the deeds office, with over 240 plots, but it is not serviced,” she stated.

Roman said in the Etoshapoort location, there are over 600 plots which are earmarked for middle- and low-income households, but none of these plots are serviced.

“We cannot do anything for now as we are still waiting on the response from the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development for the N$18 million we requested to deliver these mandates,” she said. Despite the influx and the town’s expanding population, Roman predicted that the town would be able to sustain the population once the informal settlement was fully-formalised.

She noted that the majority of the informal settlement is fully-powered, with the electrification project for Ehangano in the informal community scheduled to begin soon.

Despite the town’s housing backlog, Roman stated that the completion of services in Extension 5 in Etoshapoort under the Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) agreement, as well as the full allocation of plots in Extension 8 in the informal settlement, will help to alleviate the housing backlog in Outjo.

She noted that the council is lobbying for funds from stakeholders to service plots in Extension 4 (Outjo Town), which is intended for middle to high income-earners. -Nampa