Nova Actus: City’s commercial arm still dormant amid land backlog

The City of Windhoek has confirmed that Nova Actus Holding Company, its commercial arm announced in 2021 as a vehicle to fast-track land and housing delivery, has been fully registered but remains non-operational.In written responses to recent questions about the company, the City said that while viability studies have been completed, funding discussions are still ongoing.Nova Actus, part of a bold push to reform the City’s land and housing delivery framework, was introduced during Job Amupanda’s tenure as mayor between 2020 and 2021. The initiative aimed to implement a large-scale development programme targeting 7 000 erven in informal settlements and 3 000 in formal areas, while eliminating delays caused by bureaucracy and third-party developers.However, the City has confirmed that, as Nova Actus has not yet been operationalised, implementation of the 10 000-erven plan has not commenced. Specific areas for the erven will be identified only once operations begin, with allocations guided by council-approved criteria.Meanwhile, the City also confirmed that more than 18 036 applicants are currently on its waiting list for land. However, it did not disclose how much land is available for development, noting that figures vary due to ongoing planning, surveying and servicing processes. It did, however, confirm that council resolutions and the Public Procurement Act guide land sales to private developers.Nova ActusWhen Nova Actus was launched in 2021, Amupanda said it would operate as a 100% City-owned company designed to bypass bureaucratic delays. He explained that a subsidiary under Nova Actus would submit a funding proposal within six months of operationalisation.Amupanda also laid bare the City’s financial position at the time, stating that it held assets worth N$20 billion, had liabilities totalling N$2.7 billion, and carried a historic debt burden of N$700 million. He noted that the City had written to the Presidency proposing a debt swap, whereby the landmark debt would be written off in exchange for delivering land to citizens on behalf of government.In 2021, the City had a historic debt of N$700 million, with council saying it planned to negotiate with central government for a debt swap or debt write-off. “Our books are going to be healthy while we are still in negotiations with the government and it is going to be easier for us to engage financial institutions for us to fund our operations,” Amupanda explained.He also noted that Nova Actus Holdings (PTY) LTD was expected to be fully registered in the weeks that followed. The initial council-funded pilot for affordable housing was earmarked for Goreangab Extension 4, with a broader rollout planned for a 24-hectare site in Cimbebasia. At the time, N$22 million had been set aside for the pilot.Three years later, however, Nova Actus exists only on paper – and the capital’s land crisis remains acute.InspirationMany capital cities have formed city-owned housing companies to address affordable housing and urban development. Vienna operates Wiener Wohnen, Europe’s largest municipal housing provider, managing over 220 000 flats. Singapore’s Housing and Development Board (HDB), although a national body, provides homes for over 80% of residents and is often cited as a successful public housing model.Helsinki’s city-owned ATT builds and develops rental housing, while Berlin owns firms such as Gewobag and Degewo that manage large housing stocks to help control rent prices. Stockholm’s Stockholmshem focuses on publicly owned sustainable rental housing. Amsterdam relies on regulated housing associations for affordable units, and Paris Habitat, owned by the City of Paris, manages around 125 000 affordable homes.Such models may have inspired Nova Actus – especially Vienna’s – but unlike them, it remains inactive.

Nova Actus: City’s commercial arm still dormant amid land backlog

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Namibian Sun 2026-02-03

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Nova Actus: City’s commercial arm still dormant amid land backlog

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Namibian Sun 2026-02-03

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