OTJIWARONGO – Otjiwarongo Municipality has become one of Namibia’s leading towns in upgrading informal settlements after formalising thousands of plots, extending services and improving living conditions for residents.
Municipality CEO Mberipura Hifitikeko said the town has made “significant progress” in planning and formalising informal settlements through the Flexible Land Tenure System (FLTS), while town mayor Leonard Simushi described the development as one of the municipality’s proudest achievements.
The municipality revealed that around 75% of informal settlement areas now have access to electricity, water, and road networks.
“Most of the informal settlement is covered with road network, water line and power line,” Simushi said.
According to municipal leaders, Otjiwarongo’s informal settlement population now accounts for nearly 60% of the town’s residents, forcing the council to speed up infrastructure delivery and land servicing projects. “We are one of the towns that have made significant progress with regard to that,” he said.
Under the FLTS, residents are allocated plots registered in their names, allowing them to gradually become legal property owners.
“So, everybody has got a plot where they are staying. Everyone got a number, and it is now registered into their names. After full payment it becomes their property and they will get a title deed for that,” Hifitikeko said.
The municipality has proposed affordable monthly payments ranging between N$100 and N$500 depending on the type of structure on the plot.
Simushi said residents with zinc shacks pay less, while those operating businesses pay more.
The mayor said the orderly nature of Otjiwarongo’s informal settlements has already attracted national attention. “That’s why you heard, even in the president’s State of the Nation Address, Otjiwarongo was mentioned three times because of that development,” he said.
He continued: “We are the only town that has got an informal settlement where there are roads and plots properly demarcated.”
The municipality also confirmed that government-funded bulk water and sewer projects underway are specifically aimed at supporting future expansion in informal settlements.
The project is estimated to cost about N$72 million, although the municipality has already secured partial funding to start construction.
Municipal leaders further revealed that the town has more than 5 000 people on the housing waiting list as migration to Otjiwarongo continues to increase.
“Otjiwarongo is in the centre, and people see opportunity here. That is why the waiting list is increasing every day,” Simushi said.
The municipality has already partnered with the Shack Dwellers Federation and the Development Workshop to service plots and support low-income housing initiatives. Hifitikeko said the municipality prefers partnerships where communities participate directly in servicing land to reduce costs.
“The owners of those plots are the ones doing the actual servicing themselves. The biggest challenge for housing is servicing,” he said.
The CEO said despite challenges, the municipality remains committed to improving living conditions.
“Our message really to the community is that every year they will see progress.” We are fixing the problems step by step,” he said.