Oshakati
The private sector has been urged to refrain from making exorbitant profits and milking government of revenue, as the State attempts to provide shelter for the poor majority in need of shelter.
“I want to change the status quo. I’m not saying the private sector should not make profit, but why make millions out of the poor?” Minister of Urban and Rural Development Sophia Shaningwa asked this week when she handed over some of the 337 houses built at Oshakati under the Mass Housing Programme.
She said she is not suggesting the private sector should incur losses, but that they should make justified profits to aid government in its noble task of uplifting and building the country. According to Shaningwa, government alone cannot address the housing shortage in the country. Hence, her appeal to the private sector to work hand-in-hand with government and civil society.
She said initiatives, such as public-private partnerships (PPPs) are commendable, provided they deliver affordable houses to the people. “PPP’s should be positively understood, so that the aim is not to make exorbitant profits that drain the pockets of the poor,” said Shaningwa.
She further said her ministry is developing strategies to ensure that young professionals also acquire houses. At present, the ministry has taken cognisance of the fact that civil servants and other professionals are also struggling to find decent and affordable houses, despite the fact that they can buy houses through commercial banks.
In addition, the minister said given that there is an imbalance between supply and demand in the housing market, the ministry is on course to increase the supply of housing units on the market in order to normalise property prices. The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development is, therefore, intensifying strategies and mechanisms to increase the number of houses on the market and to ensure that Namibia’s people are adequately housed, Shaningwa said.