A Kwangali family at Rupara settlement in the Kavango West region has donated a portion of family land for the construction of low-income houses to the Rupara Shack Dwellers Federation.
This was confirmed by Fillipus Kanyongo, a member of the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN) facilitation team, at Ruparu village during the handover of 65 houses on 11 October.
The eight-hectare piece of land was part of the Kambinda family’s mahangu field that now falls within the settlement after Rupara was proclaimed as a settlement.
This settlement is a former mission station of the Finnish Missionary Society and is located 57 km south-east of Nkurenkuru.
“We thank our late mother, Onyamangundu, may her soul continue to rest in eternal peace, and tate Odjamangundu, along with their daughter, Kambinda Benedikta Nangura, who made their land available to the Rupara Shack Dwellers Federation with the assistance of the Ukwangali Traditional Authority. We further encourage the Ukwangali Traditional Authority and the community members of Rupara village to allocate more land, which will enable inhabitants to replace grass houses in our village with modern homes,” said Kanyongo.
He noted that the construction of the houses provided employment for 30 youths at Rupara village. According to him, the young people were involved in moulding bricks, bricklaying and other general construction activities. The new homeowners received home loans from the SDFN, with a repayment period of 11 years at an interest rate of 5%.
Namibia Housing Action Group co-director Heinrich Amushila said the donation from Odjamangundu and his daughter is a first of its kind.
“For us, it’s a blessing, because you are improving the lives of people by enabling them to move out of shacks and into decent houses, where they can access better services,” said Amushila.
Only local authorities, such as Outapi and Omaruru, have donated land to the federation in the past, he said.
Urban and rural development deputy minister Evelyn !Nawases-Taeyele said the ministry will continue to support the work of community-based organisations such as the SDFN, which have demonstrated their commitment and ability to contribute to the national effort to provide affordable housing for ultra-low and low-income individuals.
“The SDFN’s approach to housing is unique and worth supporting because it involves the community taking action to address its own developmental needs. This is a clear testimony of sustainable and people-centred development, and I hereby pledge our continued support,” she said.
Since 2000, the SDFN has built more than 7 600 houses throughout the country, of which 3 555 were constructed with government support of over N$111,8 million.
Private companies, such as Standard Bank through the Buy-a-Brick initiative, MTC, Huawei Namibia, Ohorongo Cement, FNB and the Pupkewitz Foundation, have also contributed to the housing initiative.
FNB Namibia, Pupkewitz Foundation and Ohorongo Cement have since 2017 contributed N$18,5 million, which enabled the construction of 440 houses.
