Martin Endjala
The Municipal Council of Windhoek has approved the layout, the need, and the desirability to establish a township on Farm 1033 (a portion of Farm 999) that will be known as Otjomuise Extension 14.
The township is designated for low-income groups and will serve as a relocation site for people from overcrowded informal settlements during the upgrading phase.
The site Farm 1033 is located along Matshitshi Street, southwest of the Goreangab Dam and north of Otjomuise Extension 10. The farm is 35.8 hectares in extent comprising 126 erven was created as a result of the subdivision of Farm 999 (a portion of Farm R/508) into Farms 1032, 1033.
In the same vein, the Municipal Council approved the layout and the desirability to establish a township establishment on the remainder of Farm 999. The township will be known as Otjomuise Extension 15.
This was announced last week Thursday during the City of Windhoek Municipal ordinary council meeting.
The Mayor of Windhoek, Joseph Uapingene, said that Otjomuise Extension 15 is earmarked for low-income groups and that it will also equally serve as a relocation site for households from existing overcrowded informal settlements when such settlements are being formalized.
The Remainder of Farm 999 is located along Matshitshi Street, southwest of the Goreangab Dam and north of Otjomuise Extension 10.
The farm is vacant and is 23.3 hectares in extent and was created as a result of the subdivision of Farm 999 (a portion of Farm R/508) into Farms 1032,1033 and the Remainder.
The mayor indicated that Namibia is currently experiencing urbanization and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future as long as urban areas are seen as a symbol of hope from abject poverty.
He stated that through Vision 2030, the country has set for itself a goal to become a developed country by the year 2030 and further, to have about 70 percent of its population urbanised.
In March 2020, the City of Windhoek conducted a rapid numbering of informal structures in all the informal settlements. Where a total of 48 233 informal structures were recorded, 3 394 in the Khomasdal Constituency, 9 052 in the Moses Garoeb Constituency, 21 241 in the Samora Machel Constituency, and 14 546 in the Tobias Hainyeko Constituency.
Sample surveys conducted in the four constituencies recorded an average household size of 3.8 persons per household. Using the average size of 3.8 persons per household, the number of people living in Windhoek’s informal settlement is estimated at 183 285 inhabitants.
“Given the statistics, it is without a shadow of a doubt that the proposed development is highly needed to address informality and guarantee the project beneficiaries’ security of tenure and access to basic services,” said Uapingene.
Furthermore, the ordinary council further approved the reservation of a site on farm 508 for government purposes for the construction of a health centre, primary school, secondary school, and police station for the Samora Machel constituency.
With only one primary school and no other public facilities, the largest informal settlement in Windhoek, which is home to an estimated 80 000 people, is severely lacking in public amenities.
The Khomas Directorate of Education, Arts and Culture discovered three unregistered schools operating in the informal area of Goreangab with a population of about eight hundred 800 learners.
Parents cited long distances to existing schools as the reasons that made them opt for the nearby unregistered schools.
To address the situation, the Directorate requested funds for additional classrooms from their line Ministry to which an allocation of 84 classrooms was made with a construction period of 1 May 2023 to 31 August 2023. From a given total of 84 classrooms, 22 classrooms are reserved for the informal settlements of Goreangab.
However, the predicament faced by the Directorate is that they do not have a site to construct a school and they fear that funds may return to the treasury.
Without a need for further justification, regarding the need for public services in the informal areas of Goreangab the Mayor stressed that it is urgent and to avoid a crisis, land must be availed as a matter of urgency to allow for the construction of a primary school, secondary school, health centre, and a Police Station whilst a lease or purchase application is being prepared.
