AR wants to sue govt over high rent

The Affirmative Repositioning movement (AR) says it will engage State House with the hope of getting answers to promises that the government will address high property rent, and an unfavourable response would force the group to drag the government to court.
In April, President Hage Geingob instructed Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila to summon the Estate Agents Board before 1 August 2016 with a view to address the high property prices in the country.
That was one of the outcomes of a meeting between Geingob and the AR activists. The AR movement had requested an audience with the head of state to clarify the issue of 26 000 residential plots promised by government under its Harambee Prosperity Plan.
AR has since accused the government of being reluctant to address skyrocketing property rent because government leaders and estate agents benefit from the high prices.
“It is to be remembered that from the inception of the AR movement we had always bemoaned the anarchy characterising the property market, particularly rentals and house prices. In our engagement with government officials, we had always emphasised the urgency to deal with rent control and high house prices.
“We have countlessly gone to various lengths to demonstrate to politicians that what is required to address the current artificial crisis can take place within the framework of current and existing laws as provided by both the Rent Ordinance and sections of the Estate Agents. Stated differently, the law is already in place to address the challenges faced by the masses of our people,” AR wrote yesterday.
The movement charged that politicians have chosen the “side of fellow elites, chosen the side of capitalists and property moguls”.
The group accused politicians of being property moguls, and intimate friends of property moguls, who profit from the housing crisis.
“We admit our naivety in believing that politicians would finally listen to supreme logic and side with the masses of renting people, especially the youth, to implement rent control and escalating property prices. It is for this reason that we agreed to a collective date of 1 August 2016, during our 11 April 2016 meeting at State House, for the prime minister to ensure that she summons the Real Estate Board and other intermediaries to address these matter,” AR wrote.
Speaking to Namibian Sun yesterday, AR’s Job Amupanda said they were consulting lawyers to establish what steps can be taken.
He said if they don’t get a satisfactory response from State House the movement would bring a court application aimed at holding the government liable for financial losses tenants have incurred due to its negligence in implementing the provisions of the law.
“We cannot allow politicians to be enjoying, profiting and rejoicing in our suffering as if we do not have minds and hands to fight for our freedom. We will fight on for our generation,” Amupanda said.
Following Geingob’s instructions in April, the chairperson of the Estate Agents Board of Namibia, Anne Gebhardt, told Namibian Sun that the body has no control over the escalating property prices in the country.
According to Gebhardt, the board is an insignificant player when it comes to addressing the housing crisis.
“The problem is a global demand and supply problem,” Gebhardt said with regard to house prices. She said the estate agents are small players, and other players include auctioneers and valuators at the banks.
“The bank evaluates and has the final call,” she said.
GORDON JOSEPH