When even professionals can no longer afford homes

There was a time, Namibian lawyer Kadhila Amoomo says, when owning a home in Namibia was not reserved only for the wealthy.

Speaking at the launch of the Amushelelo Hosea Kutako Airport Estate on Thursday, Amoomo reflected on how people with ordinary jobs once managed to build homes and raise families, contrasting that with today's reality where many professionals earning a regular salary are struggling to enter the property market.

The project, near the Hosea Kutako International Airport, is the brainchild of businessman Harvey Boulter, Amoomo and Michael Amushelelo.

"But gone are the days when people in such professions could actually afford to own a house," Amoomo said.

"Now, homelessness has reached even the so-called prestigious professions, such as lawyers, doctors and engineers. All these people can no longer afford homes."

Amoomo says the housing crisis is no longer only about people living in informal settlements. He believes it has spread across all levels of society.

To illustrate his point, he looked back at the neighbourhood where he grew up.

"If you look at the entire Golgotha area, most of those homes were owned by people who worked at the hospital. Some were nurses, while others were cleaners," he said.

He also remembered a traffic officer and a Coca-Cola truck driver who were able to build homes through ordinary employment.

He then posed the question that shaped much of his speech.

"So, what exactly happened? What transformed our society into one where ordinary people with ordinary professions, ordinary dreams, children and families can no longer afford homes?"

His answer was simple.

"We stopped caring about each other."

Amoomo argued that there is little urgency to resolve the housing shortage because many of those in positions of influence have become landlords themselves.

"Those who are supposed to protect us are the very people renting out their flats to us. As a result, there is no real sense of urgency to resolve the housing crisis."

Real access

He said the problem is also no longer confined to Windhoek.

"It's not only in Windhoek. It's also in Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and across Namibia."

Amoomo, however, believes the problem is only the beginning and that the solution starts with changing how ordinary Namibians access property ownership.

That thinking underpins the Amushelelo Hosea Kutako Airport Estate, a proposed 686-hectare development about 30 kilometres east of Windhoek that aims to remove what its developers describe as the biggest financial barriers to owning land.

Boulter said many housing developments are advertised as affordable but become unaffordable once deposits, bank financing requirements, and decades of interest payments are factored in.

"Simply put, these homes are unaffordable for many Namibians," he said.

Under the proposed model, buyers will be able to purchase 300-square-metre plots for N$40 000, 400-square-metre plots for N$50 000 and 500-square-metre plots for N$60 000.

Instead of relying on bank loans, purchasers will pay through interest-free monthly instalments starting from N$1 500.

"There is no interest. There are no bank charges," Boulter said.

He acknowledged that even these prices would still require sacrifice from many households but argued that the model offers a more realistic path into property ownership for lower- and middle-income earners than conventional housing finance.

The developers also plan to keep infrastructure costs transparent by requiring buyers to contribute only their proportional share towards roads, water, electricity and wastewater services, rather than incorporating additional mark-ups into the selling price.

A new community

Beyond providing plots, the estate is planned as a fully serviced community expected to accommodate between 9 000 and 10 000 homes, together with schools, clinics, shopping facilities, parks, public transport infrastructure, civic amenities and places of worship.

For those who do not wish to build immediately, the project also plans to offer optional modular homes ranging from one to three bedrooms, with starter homes expected to cost between N$100 000 and N$150 000.

Amoomo said his law firm would provide legal oversight to ensure beneficiaries are treated fairly throughout the project's implementation and urged prospective homeowners to remain patient and work together.

Amushelelo says that housing should never become a commodity but remain a basic human right.