Barriers to Affordable Housing Must Be Reviewed

Nico Smit

26 May 2011

Reviewing the current legislative and institutional framework relating to infrastructure development and the National Housing Policy are amongst a number strategies required to address informal settlement in Namibia, says Local Government Minister, Jerry Ekandjo.

Speaking at a public lecture at the Polytechnic of Namibia in Windhoek on Monday evening, Ekandjo said that one factor of grave concern is the current legislative and institutional frameworks governing the delivery of infrastructure.

According to the Minister of Local Government, the legislation and institutional frameworks are characterised by “bureaucratic impediments that do not allow for the timely and cost effective measures that truly benefit our people.”

With regard to town planning laws and regulations, Ekandjo said that the the period for land planning and development is extremely lengthy, and that regulatory instruments do not allow for any flexibility.

Property registration laws were also identified by the Local Government Minister as undesirable, and the Deeds Registry Office was singled out as bureaucratic, overloaded and centralised.

Ekandjo said that informal settlements have increased exponentially in Namibia, and continue to do so, largely due to an influx of people from rural to urban areas in search of better opportunities and employment.

Informal settlers occupy land that is not prepared and habitable by human standards, as they find themselves living in shacks in areas where there is no provision of basic services.

“This state of affairs is attributable not only to a lack of employment, but also to a number of factors which has led to housing ownership not being affordable,” Ekandjo said.

Turning his attention to one of the Government’s two housing provision mechanisms, the Build Together Programme, the Local Government Minister said it needs to increase the range of its clientele to include those at lower and higher income brackets. “More accountability and better implementation of the programme needs to be put in place,” Ekandjo said.

With regard to the Government’s other housing development initiative, the National Housing Enterprise (NHE), Ekandjo said that it needs to play a more active role in delivering houses.

Ekandjo also called for the NHE to expand its capacity to establish a construction department as well as to carry out all land delivery processes.

He called on the NHE to spearhead efforts in securing funds from local and external institutions, as well as increase its financial portfolio to cater to all categories of housing development.

He also indicated that his ministry was busy considering the establishment of a technical department staffed with professionals and administrators to deal with all matters related to housing development.

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