Keetmanshoop mayor Emrico Blaauw says he plans to revive a project intended to build 2 500 houses at Keetmanshoop. He says the project could provide much-needed housing while creating employment.
Blaauw says the current municipal council inherited a proposal involving the Cuvelai housing initiative when it assumed office, with plans for the construction of about 2 500 housing units at Keetmanshoop.
“When we came into council, we found a proposal on the table from a company; it’s called the Cuvelai Housing Fund. This company wanted to come and build 2 500 housing units,” Blaauw reveals.
He says he is interested in seeing the development materialise because of the economic opportunities a construction project of that scale could generate for residents.
“I still want that thing to take place because such a huge project will create a lot of jobs, formal and informal jobs,” he says.
Blaauw says he intends to revisit the proposal with fellow councillors to seek their support to move the development forward.
“Going forward, I will also dig into that, get more support from my fellow councillors and see if that project can get off the ground.”
The proposed housing development comes as Keetmanshoop positions itself to attract increased economic activity linked to mining, logistics, energy and other developments taking shape across southern Namibia.
Blaauw says the municipality has extensive land available for investors and believes Keetmanshoop’s location places it in a pole position to accommodate new industrial and residential development.
He says increased investment would, however, also increase demand for housing, accommodation and municipal services.
Blaauw says large projects should not only be viewed in terms of the infrastructure they deliver, but also the jobs they can create during construction and through supporting businesses.
Publicly available information on the Cuvelai Special Housing Scheme shows that the programme was launched at Keetmanshoop in November 2025 as part of a wider plan to develop affordable housing across Namibia.
At the time, the programme announced plans for 10 000 houses nationwide during its first phase, including 2 142 units earmarked for Keetmanshoop.
The municipality had allocated land for more than 2 000 housing units under the initiative.
Separately, community advocate Gert Titus says major development projects in the ||Kharas region should leave behind lasting benefits for residents, including better housing and social infrastructure.
He says that previous projects had often generated temporary economic activity without creating enough long-term development for local communities.
“I would rather have a company build a home, a housing shelter for their employees, than to overpay them on their wages,” Titus says.
His comments were made in the broader context of how large investments should benefit communities and were not specifically in reference to the proposed Cuvelai housing project.
The Green Screen is a collaborative platform that strengthens evidence-based reporting and informed public dialogue on Namibia’s green transition and extractive industries. It is part of the European Union-funded Eco Dialogue Collective, implemented by DW Akademie, the NMT Media Foundation, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), and the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC).
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