Covid interrupted govt plans - Geingob

The Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN) says it would like to lend government a helping hand to solve Namibia’s housing crisis.This was said by CCN president, Bishop Sageus /Keib, during a courtesy call to State House this week.Addressing President Hage Geingob, /Keib said the church felt a need to assist government."We would like to work with government and all stakeholders to develop an emergency response plan for the urgent upgrading of informal settlements," he said.Reacting to the offer, Geingob said Covid-19 had disrupted government’s development programmes.Disaster"It is an eyesore. That is why I declared it as a national disaster. As I had just declared that, then Covid-19 disrupted everything. We didn’t prepare for it; it just came, so that actually affected many of our plans," Geingob said.Geingob was pleased that the CCN was eager to take on the matter."Informal settlements are a problem, and I’m glad the churches are taking it up seriously. This thing has been a big problem," he said.Geingob also weighed in on the failure of informal businesses to pay taxes, saying it was leaving government short of much needed revenues."Informal businesses, they don’t pay taxes. So if they do not pay taxes, how do we get the budget and do other things?"Geingob added "it is true they create jobs – it can maintain people, but being informal, they don’t pay tax."DisputesPrime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila took the opportunity to address reports about mass houses being built in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay that are left incomplete and unoccupied.The notion that the houses built were unoccupied was not true, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said.“We are making progress at varying stages to find settlements for these parties on the ground. The information that the houses are uncompleted and unoccupied is completely untrue,” she said.She clarified that “what is holding up this project is really the parties that are involved are in disputes. We will engage with the people on the ground so that we can try to facilitate the settlements so that we can secure access to those houses to allocate them.”

Covid interrupted govt plans - Geingob

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-02

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Covid interrupted govt plans - Geingob

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-02

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