Swakopmund landless residents’ patience runs out
WALVIS BAY - Swakopmund residents took to the streets on Wednesday to voice their disappointment with the slow delivery of land and housing in the town.
Hundreds of residents - mainly from the informal settlements as well as backyard squatters - handed over a petition to the Swakopmund Municipality to demand that housing and land be allocated to residents in a transparent manner.
The residents stated that they are fighting for their rights, as everyone should have dignified lives in the town.
Swakopmund battles a housing backlog of over 22 000 units, but the petitioners said they want the council to allocate more land to institutions such as the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN) as they have proven to be pro-poor.
“They are a tested housing group, with a good track record and knowledge. Why not give them more serviced land for the low-income earners? That way, the housing challenge can be addressed,” the residents urged.
An agitated protestor said they want more plots and a more transparent process as they, like other Namibians, deserve decent housing and access to basic human needs.
“We are not fighting for a certain portion, but for the rights of our community and residents at large. Stop discriminating against the poor, and give us houses and plots that we can call our own,” the residents said.
Taxi driver Matheus Nashongo told New Era that he has been renting a piece of land in the DRC informal settlement since 2015.
“We are many who have been renting in the DRC, and we are also aware that we will not be able to afford the current houses built by the municipality. But all we want is a piece of land on which we can build our own homes at our own time with the little resources we have. We cannot be waiting for so long,” he emphasised.
Nu-axa Gurirab said he has been living in Swakopmund for the past 16 years, and despite applying to various schemes, they are still without a home. He said they have been charged high rental fees for shacks which are also not safe.
“The delivery of houses is too slow. We cannot wait this long. The municipality must speed up their programmes as we cannot pay so much for properties we don’t own,” he appealed.
Swakopmund CEO Alfeus Benjamin received the petition.
“Most of the issues (if not all) raised are based on decisions the council has already taken, and started implementing since last year. However, we look forward to further engaging each other as we continue to implement these developmental decisions”, he noted.
Benjamin said the municipality is committed to the delivery of safe, efficient, affordable services and infrastructure to all its residents. They have thus adopted a five-year strategic plan to ensure key projects and decisions are implemented, as well as to find methods to tackle the challenges the town is faced with.
“Council is due to hand over ownership certificates to the owners of 850 serviced erven in the DRC before May 2023, and is also in the process of electrifying the DRC and Wagdaar informal settlements. These decisions have been resolved at recent council meetings,” he said assuredly.
Benjamin then urged the residents to attend monthly council meetings to remain informed and updated on all council projects and decisions.
Swakopmund came up with ideas such as the 40-40 housing concept for low-income groups, and utilised the Build Together programme to address the housing challenges. A further 600 houses constructed under the Mass Housing programme are currently also being completed to lessen the housing backlog in the coastal town.