Churches and analysts have welcomed Namibia’s proposed housing state of emergency, but warn that declarations alone will not address a backlog of over 300 000 homes.
The Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN) on Friday welcomed prime minister Elijah Ngurare’s announcement in parliament last week that the government is considering declaring housing and sanitation a state of emergency.
CCN secretary general James Fredericks says the move recognises the seriousness of the housing crisis affecting thousands of Namibians – particularly those living in informal settlements.
He says many people continue to live without adequate housing, clean water, sanitation facilities and electricity.
“The declaration must, however, be accompanied by concrete measures, adequate resources, and clear implementation timelines that bring meaningful relief to affected communities,” Fredericks says.
The churches welcome the government’s decision to increase the housing budget from N$50 million to about N$700 million.
They also call for the faster implementation of the free residential plots programme and increased investment in land servicing.
“Access to serviced land remains one of the most significant barriers preventing thousands of Namibians from securing decent housing,” Fredericks says.
The churches further calls for urgent improvements in sanitation, water access and waste management in informal settlements.
“No family should be forced to wait years for basic services that are essential to health and human dignity,” he says.
Church leaders are expected to discuss housing and sanitation during the CCN’s church leaders’ meeting and annual general meeting, which kicks off today.
Seven years after former president Hage Geingob declared shacks a national disaster in 2019, Namibia continues to struggle with housing shortages, growing informal settlements and a backlog estimated at more than 300 000 houses.
A state of emergency is a government declaration that allows the authorities to implement special measures and redirect resources to address a crisis.
Ngurare last week said N$34 million has been earmarked as an initial step to address sanitation challenges.
He said the attorney general has advised that the Disaster Risk Management Act of 2012 can be used to declare housing and sanitation emergencies.
Ngurare said discussions have already taken place and that the National Disaster Risk Management Committee is handling the matter.
“The committee will report to the Cabinet and thereafter to the parliament on progress made,” he said.
The announcement has drawn mixed reactions from political analysts, politicians, churches and housing advocates.
Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah says the declaration is an important acknowledgement of the housing crisis, but warns that declarations alone will not solve the problem.
“While the declaration signals the government recognises the seriousness of the housing crisis, declarations alone do not solve housing shortages,” he says.
Kamwanyah says Namibia has made similar commitments before, but progress has often been slowed by delays in land delivery, limited funding, bureaucracy, weak implementation and corruption.
“The current administration has an opportunity to do things differently, but it must be judged by tangible outcomes rather than announcements,” he says.
He says the government must focus on affordable housing and serviced land.
Political analyst Sackaria Johannes says declaring a state of emergency would have little impact if the government continues using the same housing policies and implementation strategies.
“Without changes in approach and policy, I do not think there will be any meaningful change,” he says.
Popular Democratic Movement leader McHenry Venaani questions whether the declaration would make a difference without sufficient funding.
“On the question of housing, we know you do not have money. Even if we declare housing a crisis, in the absence of funding, that backlog will not be addressed,” he says.
Data from the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia indicates that about 995 000 people were living in shacks in urban areas in 2018.
Recent figures show there are 308 informal settlements in urban areas, with about 228 000 shacks.
Data contained in the second Harambee Prosperity Plan shows that almost half a million Namibians were living in shacks and other informal structures in 2020.
The report recorded 113 informal settlements with 141 143 shacks housing 401 748 people.
It also shows that between 1991 and 2016, Namibia added about 20 000 new shacks every decade.
The decision to declare housing a national emergency follows the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) tabling a motion in the parliament.
IPC member of parliament and deputy shadow minister of urban and rural development Ottilie Haitota has called for housing to be recognised as a national emergency.
Haitota says the declaration acknowledges the severity of the housing crisis and the need for urgent intervention.
Member of parliament Vetaruhe Kandorozu welcomes the move but says it must be supported by practical measures.
“Housing and sanitation go hand in hand.
Without water and sewage reticulation, you cannot have proper housing development,” he says.
Kandorozu says the government should revisit unfinished and unoccupied housing projects across
