Towns should emulate Oshakati

The deputy minister of urban and rural development, Derek Klazen, has called on local authorities to emulate the Oshakati town council's efforts in addressing the need for serviced land and decrease the housing backlog in the country. Klazen was speaking at the Oshakati annual clean-up campaign on Friday. He said Oshakati was way ahead of other towns when it came to servicing plots and his ministry was impressed with the manner in which Oshakati was tackling the housing crisis. He said the council had serviced close to 6 000 plots in a short period of time. Given the housing backlog in Namibia, local authorities should increase their efforts to provide serviced residential plots, he said. Klazen also acknowledged the efforts by other towns, saying they were doing well but could not be compared to Oshakati. “We should not do things in isolation and that is why we want to promote Oshakati for others to learn. Others are trying but they do not come near Oshakati, even the capital city,” Klazen said. Late last year urban and rural development minister Sophia Shaningwa praised Oshakati at the handover of 141 houses at Ekuku constructed under a public-private partnership. At that occasion she also launched the construction of 600 low-cost houses at Ekuku, which is currently in full swing. Klazen said people should bear in mind that servicing land is a costly exercise, which means that people should not build shacks on serviced plots. “We do not want shacks in the country but we want you to have decent houses,” Klazen said. Local authorities have entered into agreements with developers who are given large sections of un-serviced land and are expected to put up basic services such as sewers, water, electricity and streets.KENYA KAMBOWE

Towns should emulate Oshakati

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Namibian Sun 2025-08-26

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Towns should emulate Oshakati

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Namibian Sun 2025-08-26

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