Andreas Thomas
Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa has described local authorities as the “biggest headache” facing his ministry.
He cited wide spread financial mismanagement, weak governance and inequitable land allocation as the chief obstacles to service delivery and affordable housing.
In a wide-ranging interview on Nampa’s Behind the Wheel programme on Friday, Sankwasa said his ministry sits “at the heart of the whole population”, overseeing regional councils, local authorities, and traditional authorities, each with distinct challenges.
“The biggest headache is the local authorities. Most of the councillors we have elected are not educated. It becomes a challenge for them to understand the law, and that opens room for manipulation by administrators,” he said.
He added that poor governance has contributed to weak accountability, noting that many local authorities have not been properly audited for years. “You cannot just be throwing money in a bottomless pit, where nobody can explain what happened to the money,” he said.
Sankwasa also criticised the allocation of land, saying investors are often prioritised over ordinary Namibians, who have been on a waiting list for 15 to 20 years. “Investors get land overnight, with some investors acquiring land cheaply and reselling it at significantly higher prices,” he stressed.
He dismissed claims that high land prices are solely responsible for expensive housing, calling it “a fabricated lie” and pointing instead to broader structural issues such as reliance on imported building materials.
To address affordability, Sankwasa said that government plans include restructuring the National Housing Enterprise (NHE), promoting alternative building technologies and exploring local manufacturing of construction materials.
“We want to target the 10 000 houses that the president [Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah] has directed,” he said, adding that housing delivery must balance affordability with durability. He further revealed that Namibia’s housing backlog stands at around 800 000 units in a population of roughly three million, describing the situation as massive.
With regards to traditional leadership, Sankwasa said he inherited numerous unresolved chieftainship disputes, including at least 15 traditional authorities without recognised chiefs. He highlighted the resolution of the Masubia and Vakwangari disputes, noting that cultural understanding played a key role. However, he acknowledged ongoing challenges, particularly where disputes are complicated by misinformation.
On the other hand, the minister attributed governance challenges in regional and local governments partly to confusion between political roles and administrative responsibilities, stressing that councillors are elected to deliver development, not to interfere in administrative processes such as recruitment.
He warned that unlawful council resolutions cannot be implemented, even if adopted by elected representatives. “Management can only implement resolutions that are legal and lawful,” he said. Sankwasa cited cases in regional councils where political tensions disrupted operations, including disputes over salaries and appointments, but said corrective measures have been taken.
The minister maintained that enforcing accountability is central to his approach, rejecting criticism that his leadership style is heavy-handed. “I’m not a bully, but I’m a straightforward person,” he said. “If something is wrong, it’s wrong.”
He emphasised that councillors must lead by example, particularly in paying municipal debts, warning that deductions may be enforced where necessary.
Sankwasa also acknowledged facing resistance and even security concerns linked to his work but remained resolute. “I would rather do something correct and die for it than fear to do it,” he said.
-Nampa
Photo: Heather Erdmann