Shack dwellers light the way
There are at least 228 000 shacks, spread out countrywide in 308 informal settlements, but through dedication and innovation, the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia continues to make a positive impact on this crisis.
The innovative and can-do attitude driving the 25 000 mostly female members of the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN) is proving to be one of the most potent weapons that has made a notable dent in Namibia's urban housing crisis, which afflicts at least 500 000 Namibians, representing 40% of the population.
During a presentation at the second national land conference, Edith Mbanga of the SDFN said current data shows there are at least 228 000 shacks, spread out in 308 informal urban and rural settlements, in which an estimated 995 000 Namibians eke out a living.
Statistics released last year on urban shacks and households, estimated that by the end of 2018, there will be about 150 000 shacks, with about 15 000 shacks being added each year.
At that rate of growth, there will be more urban shacks than all formal urban houses and all rural houses by 2025.
Mbanga told participants that government and local authority urban land delivery programmes have “failed to meet the needs of people, whether they moved into towns or are born in towns”.
She said the fact that most local authorities and government base urban housing plans on pricey strategies involving middle-men, and the fact that households are not able to construct houses, has caused unaffordable rental and housing prices, and the mushrooming of informal settlements.
“Top-down, costly and lengthy land development processes limit the scaling up of delivering land to the poor,” she said.
Monthly incomes of households in the poorest areas do not exceed N$3 000 and is on average not more than N$1 000 per family, she said.
As such, families could afford between N$375 and N$750 per month for land, shelter and services.
She said the land conference should push for a solution that will impact “the majority of the population” - those in shacks without basic services.
She proposed subsidies for bulk infrastructure development, and financing programmes to help communities install water and sanitation services themselves.
Success stories
The SDFN model has, with the help of local authorities recognising their strategy as key to resolve the issue of informal and illegal shacks, managed to construct nearly 5 000 homes, costing less than N$40 000 each.
In contrast, towns and government initiatives that involve developers, have led to costs of between N$50 000 to N$80 000 for a fully serviced erf, immediately barricading low-cost residents from accessing housing.
Mbanga said further housing development projects are “lengthy and those on the waiting lists and informal settlements have no idea by which time they will obtain their own land and what the costs will be”.
Current housing models “lack the potential for communities to participate in planning and upgrading and development, and for incremental development options reaching more people, to provide security of tenure and basic services”.
The answers are there
The SDFN's unique approach has repeatedly been hailed as one of the most effective solutions to the urban housing crisis.
Mbanga told the land conference participants that SDFN members started their savings programme with a contribution of as little as a dollar a day.
With dedication and the urgent need to provide proper housing to their families, the savings have resulted to date in a total of N$29 million.
In 1995, the Poor People Fund was launched, through which N$123 million has been channelled, N$49 million of which was contributed by the ministry of urban and rural development (MURD).
To date, the SDFN members have secured land for 8 500 households.
Moreover, through the Community Land Information Program (CLIP), initiated by the SDFN and their partner, the Namibia Housing Action Group (NHAG), in partnership with informal settlement communities as well as local, regional and national government, informal settlement upgrading involving 5 000 households has taken place.
Last year Herbert Jauch, the chairperson of the Economic and Social Justice Trust (ESJT), highlighted that the Namibian government has repeatedly been warned of “this growing crisis”, by amongst others the SDFN.
JANA-MARI SMITH
During a presentation at the second national land conference, Edith Mbanga of the SDFN said current data shows there are at least 228 000 shacks, spread out in 308 informal urban and rural settlements, in which an estimated 995 000 Namibians eke out a living.
Statistics released last year on urban shacks and households, estimated that by the end of 2018, there will be about 150 000 shacks, with about 15 000 shacks being added each year.
At that rate of growth, there will be more urban shacks than all formal urban houses and all rural houses by 2025.
Mbanga told participants that government and local authority urban land delivery programmes have “failed to meet the needs of people, whether they moved into towns or are born in towns”.
She said the fact that most local authorities and government base urban housing plans on pricey strategies involving middle-men, and the fact that households are not able to construct houses, has caused unaffordable rental and housing prices, and the mushrooming of informal settlements.
“Top-down, costly and lengthy land development processes limit the scaling up of delivering land to the poor,” she said.
Monthly incomes of households in the poorest areas do not exceed N$3 000 and is on average not more than N$1 000 per family, she said.
As such, families could afford between N$375 and N$750 per month for land, shelter and services.
She said the land conference should push for a solution that will impact “the majority of the population” - those in shacks without basic services.
She proposed subsidies for bulk infrastructure development, and financing programmes to help communities install water and sanitation services themselves.
Success stories
The SDFN model has, with the help of local authorities recognising their strategy as key to resolve the issue of informal and illegal shacks, managed to construct nearly 5 000 homes, costing less than N$40 000 each.
In contrast, towns and government initiatives that involve developers, have led to costs of between N$50 000 to N$80 000 for a fully serviced erf, immediately barricading low-cost residents from accessing housing.
Mbanga said further housing development projects are “lengthy and those on the waiting lists and informal settlements have no idea by which time they will obtain their own land and what the costs will be”.
Current housing models “lack the potential for communities to participate in planning and upgrading and development, and for incremental development options reaching more people, to provide security of tenure and basic services”.
The answers are there
The SDFN's unique approach has repeatedly been hailed as one of the most effective solutions to the urban housing crisis.
Mbanga told the land conference participants that SDFN members started their savings programme with a contribution of as little as a dollar a day.
With dedication and the urgent need to provide proper housing to their families, the savings have resulted to date in a total of N$29 million.
In 1995, the Poor People Fund was launched, through which N$123 million has been channelled, N$49 million of which was contributed by the ministry of urban and rural development (MURD).
To date, the SDFN members have secured land for 8 500 households.
Moreover, through the Community Land Information Program (CLIP), initiated by the SDFN and their partner, the Namibia Housing Action Group (NHAG), in partnership with informal settlement communities as well as local, regional and national government, informal settlement upgrading involving 5 000 households has taken place.
Last year Herbert Jauch, the chairperson of the Economic and Social Justice Trust (ESJT), highlighted that the Namibian government has repeatedly been warned of “this growing crisis”, by amongst others the SDFN.
JANA-MARI SMITH
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