Same old, same old
As a developing country and a young democracy, we understand that there are a myriad of challenges we face. However, there is simply too much going on, and going on for too long.
The issue of housing, land and resettlement has been in the news for the past 20-odd years and it remains in the news. The same challenges that resettlement faced then, it faces now. Lack of farms, lack of funds, lack of productivity.
Our informal settlements have all but exploded and people have been crying for homes or plots as long as Namibia has existed. And yet, with all the programmes brought in by all the administrations, the informal settlements keep growing. And along with that, health challenges and a smorgasbord of social dilemmas which we will, no doubt, in the future, pay for.
The Windhoek mayor, Muesee Kazapua, this week, at the groundbreaking ceremony of a new extension in Rocky Crest, said that the next agreement he signs should be one for the servicing of land in informal settlements. We do hope that his call is heard, loud and clear.
Housing is of course, a lucrative business and developers and property owners have had a field day, especially in Windhoek and at the coast, with exorbitant property prices. And while the free market system has the right to look at the bottom line, town councils are going to have to get creative and think out of the box, to get developers involved in informal settlements.
Studies have been completed and suggestions made and we hope those with the power to make decisions, take heed.
After almost three decades of freedom in our corner of the world, it is a shame that so many of our people are living in ad hoc shelters in abhorrent conditions with no place to truly call home.
And with the upcoming land conference in October, firm and clear steps should be taken to ensure that land is equitably distributed and that those who receive it, are able to produce and make a good living off of it, creating not only food security but also much-needed jobs.
It is time that we stop reporting on housing, rent, plots and landlessness. High time.
The issue of housing, land and resettlement has been in the news for the past 20-odd years and it remains in the news. The same challenges that resettlement faced then, it faces now. Lack of farms, lack of funds, lack of productivity.
Our informal settlements have all but exploded and people have been crying for homes or plots as long as Namibia has existed. And yet, with all the programmes brought in by all the administrations, the informal settlements keep growing. And along with that, health challenges and a smorgasbord of social dilemmas which we will, no doubt, in the future, pay for.
The Windhoek mayor, Muesee Kazapua, this week, at the groundbreaking ceremony of a new extension in Rocky Crest, said that the next agreement he signs should be one for the servicing of land in informal settlements. We do hope that his call is heard, loud and clear.
Housing is of course, a lucrative business and developers and property owners have had a field day, especially in Windhoek and at the coast, with exorbitant property prices. And while the free market system has the right to look at the bottom line, town councils are going to have to get creative and think out of the box, to get developers involved in informal settlements.
Studies have been completed and suggestions made and we hope those with the power to make decisions, take heed.
After almost three decades of freedom in our corner of the world, it is a shame that so many of our people are living in ad hoc shelters in abhorrent conditions with no place to truly call home.
And with the upcoming land conference in October, firm and clear steps should be taken to ensure that land is equitably distributed and that those who receive it, are able to produce and make a good living off of it, creating not only food security but also much-needed jobs.
It is time that we stop reporting on housing, rent, plots and landlessness. High time.
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Namibian Sun
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