Swakopmund rental residents fight back over housing crisis

Over 2 000 residents of Swakopmund have accused the local authority of failing to address the town’s growing housing crisis, which has left thousands trapped in expensive rentals and informal shacks.

The criticism came after the residents joined forces to form the Swakopmund Rent Payers Movement, a new group campaigning for greater access to affordable housing.

Chairperson Mabasen /Narib said ordinary working-class residents are finding it almost impossible to secure affordable land or decent housing in the coastal town.

“Rent payers in Swakopmund are struggling to get affordable land to build houses,” /Narib said. “House prices are extremely high and only a few housing units are developed each year. Because of this, many people remain stuck in rental accommodation with no hope of owning homes.”

He said the situation is made worse by the absence of land auctions aimed specifically at first-time buyers.

“There is currently no land auction that caters for first-time buyers. This makes it very difficult for rent payers to access land,” he added.

Demands outlined

According to /Narib, more than 2 000 residents attended a recent community meeting to express their concerns and register as part of the movement.

“We collected data from over 2 000 rent payers to create a database. This shows how serious the problem is. People are desperate for real solutions,” he said.

The movement is now demanding urgent intervention from the Swakopmund municipality, including faster land delivery and the introduction of affordable land auctions reserved exclusively for first-time buyers.

“We want land auctions that are priced affordably and meant only for rent payers. We also want more land to be allocated to the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia, which has proven that it can build more houses for ultra-low-income earners than the National Housing Enterprise,” /Narib said.

Exploitative landlords

He further proposed strict measures to prevent property speculation.

“The municipality must include a clause that prevents buyers from reselling land for at least 10 years. This will ensure the land benefits genuine residents and not investors,” he said.

 /Narib blamed soaring rental prices on an imbalance between supply and demand.

“Rent is high because demand is high and supply is low," he stressed.

"Landlords charge what they charge because the market allows them to do so. If more residential land is made available to working-class people, demand for rentals will drop and prices will come down,” he argued.

He also criticised property developers for focusing mainly on flats instead of affordable family homes.

“We are seeing too many flats being built and very few houses. Developers who buy land should be required to build houses for resale for at least three years to help address the housing backlog”.

Mounting frustration

Behind the policy arguments are thousands of personal stories of hardship.

Long-time resident Baku !Nawases said she has been on the municipal housing waiting list for more than a decade without success.

“I applied for a house in 2013 and I have been following up ever since,” she said. “Every time I submit updated documents, even when I get a salary increase, I update my application, but I remain on the waiting list.”

She expressed frustration that newcomers appear to benefit ahead of long-term residents.

“People from outside Swakopmund come and get houses easily, while residents who have lived here for years are ignored,” she said.

The resident also accused landlords of exploiting tenants.

“Landlords are a problem to us. Some of them own more than one house, two or even three properties, while we are struggling just to find a place to stay,” she said.

“I pay N$1 600 a month to rent a small shack, yet that is almost the same amount people pay for new NHE houses. It just doesn’t make sense.”

Abandoned renters

Another tenant, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of victimisation, said she and her family have been stuck in the rental cycle for more than 15 years.

“We applied for housing more than 10 years ago, and we are still on the waiting list. Every time we follow up, they just tell us to wait,” she said.

“By now we could have already paid off our own house instead of paying rent every month with nothing to show for it.”

She said some landlords place unfair restrictions on tenants.

“They even limit what appliances we can use, like irons or kettles, claiming they waste electricity. Yet we are the ones paying rent.”

The tenant added that renters are often forced to improve properties at their own cost.

“When we fix or upgrade the shacks we live in, we pay for it ourselves. Landlords don’t contribute, and they don’t deduct renovation costs from the rent.”

She said many residents feel politically abandoned.

“We are always voting, but no real change ever comes to help us with housing. We are tired of promises.”

The Rent Payers Movement says it will continue mobilising residents and pushing for urgent reforms until concrete action is taken to address Swakopmund’s growing housing crisis.

The Swakopmund municipality had not responded to detailed questions sent by this newspaper at the time of publication.