EDITORIAL: Urgent intervention needed to curb housing shortage

The housing crisis that continues to haunt the country requires urgent intervention if we are to safeguard the dignity of our people.With the latest statistics indicating that the number of shacks have more than doubled since 2011, as a country, we run the risk of becoming a nation dominated by informal dwellings.One of the major tenets of human dignity is decent shelter. We must therefore devise measures aimed at reducing the 300 000 housing backlog and ensuring that housing is affordable.The National Housing Enterprise, as the government's vehicle to address the housing situation, must be given the adequate support it deserves in order to fulfill its mandate.We continue paying lip service to the housing crisis, forgetting that the mushrooming of informal settlements across the country continues unabated.Shacks have become the new normal for many of our citizens who cannot afford to buy a decent house.The bureaucracy and slow pace when it comes to regulating housing and land affairs is also a major contributing factor to the conundrum we are facing.Property is seen as a money-making scheme by the well-off, who in most cases buy houses meant for low-earners and subsequently rent out those properties for ridiculous amounts. We need to curb some of these unethical practices if we are serious about providing decent shelter for all Namibians.

EDITORIAL: Urgent intervention needed to curb housing shortage

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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EDITORIAL: Urgent intervention needed to curb housing shortage

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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