Agonising 20-year wait for house ends in joy

Thomas Mushimba finally has a place to call home.

It took him over 20 years of paying rent to finally become a homeowner.

“I’ve been renting a small flat with my family, and sometimes when it gets tough we would stay in makeshift shacks just to keep going. Sometimes I was forced to send the children away to the village because the flat is too small to accommodate all of us.

“I tried to apply through various town councils for land, but I wouldn’t get any response, or I would be told there are many people on the waiting list, already,” he says.

Mushimba says he eventually decided to approach the National Housing Enterprise (NHE), and his application for a house was approved in less than two years.

Today, he is the proud owner of a twobedroom house at Ondangwa.

“I’m happy to finally own a house. This is a big achievement for me and my family. I’ve waited for so long. Sometimes I would cry myself to sleep, because I felt like a failure for not being able to afford decent housing for my family.

“Owning a house is more than just a house. It creates a sense of belonging and ownership,” he says.

Executive director of urban and rural development Daniel Nghidinua says a house must offer security of tenure, basic services, and must be affordable.

He said this during the handover of 64 NHE houses at Ondangwa last week.

“Housing is and will continue to be one of the key national development priorities as it is an important vehicle for addressing poverty and inequality, as well as for bringing about social harmony, economic advancement and ensuring political stability,” he said.

Nghidinua said the government’s position and actions in this regard are guided by and are in line with Africa’s Agenda 2063, where the desire is for the people of Africa to have access to affordable and decent housing, including all the basic necessities of life such as water, sanitation, energy, public transport and information and communication technology.

“Agenda 2063 also recognises security of tenure, land use planning, urban management systems, and improving conditions in informal settlements.

“At international level, we have the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), where Namibia and other members of the United Nations have committed themselves to ensure cities and human settlements are inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

“It is recognised that housing is cross-cutting in nature, and it is a key instrument in achieving other SDGs,” he said.

Nghidinua said national developmental challenges and goals such as housing and urban land delivery can be addressed through concerted efforts from both the public and other sectors of society “as demonstrated by this project”.

He urged other local authority councils to also work with the NHE and the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia by making affordable land available to them for the construction of affordable houses.

NHE board chairperson Toska Sem says the project consists of 64 single residential units, with an investment of N$20 million.
The enterprise’s efforts should be understood by key strategic partners in the housing fraternity, such as local authorities, to guarantee a collective and multifaceted approach to the country’s housing challenge.

“This project has been actualised due to the proactiveness of the Ondangwa Town Council, which made the land available to the NHE at affordable rates.

“I therefore wish to plead, once again, to all local authorities in the country to partner with the NHE through the provision and allocation of affordable land to the enterprise,” she said.

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