Windhoek faces test on housing targets as 2027 nears

Questions are mounting over whether the municipality is on course to meet its ambitious housing and land-servicing targets under the 2022–2027 strategic plan.

The five-year plan aims to service hundreds of residential plots each year and expand affordable housing construction to tackle the capital’s rising demand for homes and the rapid growth of informal settlements.

The municipality aims to service 700 plots annually in greenfield areas – new sites on undeveloped land – while gradually expanding brownfield projects, which involve upgrading and redeveloping existing urban areas, the plan states.

It projects that brownfield developments could eventually provide up to 3 150 serviced erven, particularly in Havana, Otjomuise, Groot Aub, Mix Settlement and Goreangab. Alongside land servicing, the strategy also sets targets for expanding council-backed affordable housing.

The City’s corporate scorecard shows that council-funded housing construction was expected to rise steadily, reaching up to 600 houses by the 2026/27 financial year.

A separate programme targeting informal settlements projected the delivery of around 300 affordable houses annually in Havana, Otjomuise and Groot Aub.

Review underway

These initiatives form part of the City’s broader goal to “provide basic services, land delivery and upgrading of informal settlements” to improve residents’ quality of life.

With 2027 approaching, the municipality is now reviewing progress under the five-year strategy.

City of Windhoek spokesperson Lydia Amutenya said the municipality is currently assessing implementation of the plan. “The review is currently underway, and the update can be provided once that is done,” she said.

The strategic plan serves as a blueprint for the municipality’s service delivery and infrastructure priorities and also aligns the City’s development agenda with national frameworks.

Key priorities include upgrading informal settlements, installing communal water and sanitation infrastructure and expanding basic services and road networks in growing residential areas. Rapid urbanisation in Windhoek over the past decade has increased pressure on housing, land availability and municipal services.