Allexer Namundjembo
The Popular Democratic Movement’s (PDM) leader, McHenry Venaani has vowed to reduce Namibia’s housing backlog by 30%.
Venaani unveiled plans to introduce a comprehensive housing scheme that integrates existing programmes with new policy interventions aimed at expanding the housing sector at the party’s star rally at Keetmanshoop on Saturday.
“We will develop an innovative scheme that merges existing programmes and supports the housing sector through appropriate policies and credit availability, including interest subventions where necessary,” Venaani explained.
According to Venaani, while 80% of families live in detached or stand-alone houses, 64% of them reside in informal settlements at Keetmanshoop.
He said the housing backlog in the town is nearly 10 000 homes.
To combat this situation, Venaani pledged that the PDM would implement its ‘One Namibian, One Plot’ policy, providing free erven to the urban poor.
“The PDM will provide the urban poor with free erven through the ‘One Namibian, One Plot’ policy, transforming informal settlements into formalised human settlements with land and title deeds,” he added.
Venaani also criticised the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) for awarding a tender to a South African company involved in a corruption scandal.
He questioned the ECN’s decision to award a US$60 million contract to Ren-Form, a company implicated in a R570 million corruption case.
“How does this happen? How do we, the people of Namibia, stand by and allow such blatant disregard for our sovereignty and democratic process? This is not just about awarding a tender; this is about our democracy,” Venaani stated.
ECN on Friday clarified that the actual cost of the tender is far lower than the figure cited by Venaani.
The contract’s total cost is N$6.3 million, far less than the wildly exaggerated and fictitious N$1 billion that some media reports have been spreading.
Venaani went further, accusing the Swapo of being involved in the ECN’s tender process, claiming that it reflects a “dangerous pattern of corruption” associated with the ruling party.
“Swapo may try to distance itself from this scandal, but we know better. The PDM is aware that these actions are not merely independent decisions by the ECN,” he alleged.
In response, Swapo Secretary General Sophia Shaningwa, speaking at a rally in Omuthiya on Saturday, dismissed the accusations.
She clarified that Swapo is not involved in the ECN’s affairs and emphasised that all political parties were invited to oversee the ballot printing process.
“It is not true that Swapo is involved. All 21 political parties were invited to accompany the ECN to South Africa to observe the printing, packing, and transportation of the ballots. These claims are just attempts to tarnish Swapo’s reputation,” Shaningwa stated.
