'New dawn' prioritises Windhoek informal settlements

OGONE TLHAGE

WINDHOEK

Significant increase in spending The City of Windhoek's informal settlement upgrading programme has received a major shot in the arm of about N$55 million.The City of Windhoek – led by an opposition coalition after toppling Swapo - has significantly increased its spending on informal settlements in its latest budget, in line with its ambitions to prioritise informal settlements.

The City released its budget this week, marking a significant increase in money geared towards informal settlements if compared to its previous financial years.

Namibian Sun reported this week that the informal settlement upgrading programme got a major shot in the arm of about N$55 million.

The City will spend another N$32 million on the electrification of informal settlements, while N$13 million is for the development of Goreangab Extension 4 and N$6 million for the development of Okahandja Park A, B, C and D, budget documents show.

A further N$15 million is being earmarked for ‘brownfield’ projects left incomplete by previous developers in informal settlements.

Another N$15 million is earmarked for ‘greenfield’ projects in informal settlements yet to be started.

It brings the City’s envisaged spending on informal settlement upgrade projects to N$136 million for 2021-2022.

That is a significant change from the N$14 million that was allocated to the electrification of low-cost houses, and the electrification of informal settlements which was budgeted to cost the City N$1.5 million in 2018.

The City’s spending in 2019 on electrification of informal settlements increased to N$20 million, while the budgets for the Goreangab Extension 4 and Okahandja Park developments were N$9 million and N$6 million respectively.