The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) pledged on Saturday to prioritise urban housing that would see up to 300 000 new homes countrywide through the party’s ‘One Namibia, One Plot’ Policy.
PDM’s McHenry Venaani highlighted housing, electrification of informal settlements and the introduction of a subsidy for domestic workers as some of his party’s top priorities. 

“We shall ensure that every informal settlement dweller over the age of 21 who falls into a lower LSM category (receiving less than N$4 500 per month) must qualify for a small plot to set up a decent and adequate home structure,” Venaani told party supporters and sympathisers who had gathered at the Goreangab sports field where the party unveiled its manifesto for the upcoming regional council and local authority elections.
Venaani said his party will develop massive low-cost social housing structures in every major town across the country to ease the burden of rentals and allow young professionals to own their own houses at a young age. “We shall embark on electrifying informal settlements through the use of renewable energy technologies such as solar and wind,” he stressed.

Similarly, Venaani said, PDM will install a new innovative self-reading meter system whereby residents are informed on their mobile phones of their power readings and bills reflecting actual consumption.
PDM also promised to reform hygiene and sanitation conditions in the country’s informal settlements by introducing the ‘One Family, One Toilet’ Policy.

“We shall embark on introducing new innovative ways for measuring water meter readings to put a stop to the overcharging of residents for water by municipalities and town councils,” the party leader said.
According to Venaani, his party shall allocate a portion of the respective local authority’s revenue annually to help youth with bankable project plans to receive funding, mentoring and coaching without having to provide any collateral.

Also, he said, the party will reform the taxi driver’s licence system, and put in place a scoring system for fines as well as the introduction of a domestic workers’ subsidy from the revenue collected by municipalities and town councils.
Likewise, he said, the PDM will champion the creation and implementation of an anti-crime policy for the City of Windhoek, Walvis Bay and Swakopmund through existing law-enforcement structures. 

The party leaders said his party if elected into power will also strengthen community-based policing to ensure the fight against crime is a concerted effort from both the community and the police.

He said the PDM shall create water catchments through its ‘One Village, One Dam’ policy.  At the regional and local government level, the PDM said it will create a mechanism to ensure that corruption in towns and regional councils is completely eradicated, maladministration eliminated, and abuse of public resources is done away with. “We shall ensure that both our regional councillors and local authority councillors are honest and hardworking individuals who are driven by the desire to serve the people at all times,” Venaani said. 
“We shall intensify the fight against unemployment at the local level by establishing manufacturing enterprises and giving incentives to local producers,” he added.  – ktjitemisa@nepc.com.na