Martin Endjala
The Urban and Rural Development Minister Erastus Uutoni has heaped praises on the Ongwediva Town Council and the Oshana Region for leading the way in the provision of housing.
Uutoni was speaking at an information session organised by his ministry at the Ongwediva Annual Trade Fair (OATF).
The information sharing session was to provide the public an opportunity to ask questions surrounding land, issuing of land certificates, housing and development in rural and urban areas.
The session, the minister explained in his address was to continue the dialogue on topical issues such as access to urban land, housing and rural development. The minister said that the government is rolling out other initiatives such as the flexible land tenure programme which gives ‘’land hold ownership and empowers and enables members of the community mobilise resources and build their own homes at the pace and accordingly to their affordability levels’’. He also informed the public that the government is busy accelerating tenure security in informal settlements through various methods such as the issuance of certificates of acknowledgement of land occupation, while the formal processes of land ownership registration and transfers are underway.Uutoni also said that the ministry is about to finalise the Rent Control Bill to operationalise the rent control board and the implementation of rent control measures.
He said that the ministry is cognizant of the challenges facing the provision of housing, and has however urged the nation to stay calm and be patient as the ministry continues to look for quick and long-term solutions.
“We are aware of the challenges, but MURD cannot do it on its own, we therefore, need to all pull together,” said Uutoni.
He thanked regional governors, regional and local authority councils and the Namibia Housing Enterprise for their commitment to serve the people ‘’amidst numerous challenges including resource and capacity constraints’’.
