Ondangwa unveils plans for 631 new erven
Council tackles land shortage
Community consultations are scheduled this week to discuss the plans to develop new townships to ease the land for housing backlog.
In its effort to boost the availability of land for houses and business development amid an estimated backlog of 8 000 erven, the Ondangwa Town Council has announced plans to establish two new townships comprising a total of 631 erven.
According to Ondangwa spokesperson Petrina Shitalangaho-Mutikisha, the new townships will be named Extension 36, which will consist of 514 erven, and Olukolo Proper, which will comprise 117 erven designated for mixed use.
Ondangwa is home to a population of around 30 000 residents.
“The establishment of new townships will address the increasing demand for serviced land and accommodate our growing population, ensuring that development keeps pace with these evolving needs,” Shitalangaho-Mutikisha explained.
The town council reported a current housing backlog of 3 068 applicants for homes in formal areas and 5 098 in informal areas.
Shitalangaho-Mutikisha said the establishment of the two townships was gazetted on 30 April, with community meetings now next on the agenda.
Two community meetings are scheduled for today and tomorrow, at the Ondangwa constituency office and the Marula tree behind Gwashamba Mall, respectively.
Both meetings will start at 10:00.
Housing allocations
In December 2023, the town council allocated plots to 231 beneficiaries at Omashaka Proper, to be leased at a cost of N$105 per month.
Earmarked for low-income earners, the beneficiaries were given three months to put up a structure or risk having their plots revoked.
Title deeds were issued to the beneficiaries once the area was formalised.
Omashaka Proper was serviced at a cost of N$4.3 million.
While many towns struggle with illegal land occupations due to housing shortages, the Ondangwa Town Council has not encountered the same challenge.
At the time, Ondangwa CEO Ismael Namgongo said their land allocation model has proven effective.
“The concept we are following has worked; we have tested it. From 2017 up to last year we have made a similar project at the Onantsi settlement where we have got around 600 houses that are there now. It has to do with cooperation and understanding with the stakeholders, including the residents,” Namgongo explained.
To make way for the development of Omashaka Proper, the town council has agreed to pay a total of N$2 million to 10 families who had cultivated mahangu fields on the land.
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According to Ondangwa spokesperson Petrina Shitalangaho-Mutikisha, the new townships will be named Extension 36, which will consist of 514 erven, and Olukolo Proper, which will comprise 117 erven designated for mixed use.
Ondangwa is home to a population of around 30 000 residents.
“The establishment of new townships will address the increasing demand for serviced land and accommodate our growing population, ensuring that development keeps pace with these evolving needs,” Shitalangaho-Mutikisha explained.
The town council reported a current housing backlog of 3 068 applicants for homes in formal areas and 5 098 in informal areas.
Shitalangaho-Mutikisha said the establishment of the two townships was gazetted on 30 April, with community meetings now next on the agenda.
Two community meetings are scheduled for today and tomorrow, at the Ondangwa constituency office and the Marula tree behind Gwashamba Mall, respectively.
Both meetings will start at 10:00.
Housing allocations
In December 2023, the town council allocated plots to 231 beneficiaries at Omashaka Proper, to be leased at a cost of N$105 per month.
Earmarked for low-income earners, the beneficiaries were given three months to put up a structure or risk having their plots revoked.
Title deeds were issued to the beneficiaries once the area was formalised.
Omashaka Proper was serviced at a cost of N$4.3 million.
While many towns struggle with illegal land occupations due to housing shortages, the Ondangwa Town Council has not encountered the same challenge.
At the time, Ondangwa CEO Ismael Namgongo said their land allocation model has proven effective.
“The concept we are following has worked; we have tested it. From 2017 up to last year we have made a similar project at the Onantsi settlement where we have got around 600 houses that are there now. It has to do with cooperation and understanding with the stakeholders, including the residents,” Namgongo explained.
To make way for the development of Omashaka Proper, the town council has agreed to pay a total of N$2 million to 10 families who had cultivated mahangu fields on the land.
[email protected]
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