The Swakopmund Municipality is targeting to accommodate 17 000 people under the various erven and housing provision projects.
There is an estimated 25 000 to 30 000 people living in the Democratic Resettlement Community (DRC), an informal settlement of Swakopmund.
Chief executive officer of the coastal town, Archie Benjamin said, "currently, DRC proper have 800 serviced erven. Meaning, it contains all the bulk services; water, sewerage, electricity. What has not happened is that portions of the DRC residents did not have access to municipal services to their erven. That changed since last month when council decided households will live on an individual erf and can then now apply for access where there is no access to municipal services to open their accounts."
The municipality is also targeting to resettle 600 people on another portion of land in DRC so that the land is serviced and divided into individual plots.
However, only 500 people have been moved so far while the rest refused for various reasons.
Currently, 17 000 people are registered on the housing list which the municipality is using to allocate housing and erven.
"We have also collaborated with our line ministry and the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) in allocating houses under the AFRINA phase of the mass housing project in Matutura. As of today 108 people have been allocated houses. They have occupied them and 24 are still being processed. Because the majority of our people on the municipal list in terms of affordability cannot obtain bank loans to occupy these houses. But we and NHE are trying to fast-track this process," said Benjamin.
There is also a project under the Build Together Programme where 149 beneficiaries await the construction and completion of their houses.
Another housing project is called 40/40 where contractors have been instructed to build 40 credit-linked and social houses.
"Now, the social housing concept means that in this case, these identified beneficiaries would not need bank loans. Council is constructing the houses as identified and then they would rent from council for a period of 15 to 20 years upon completion of that period the house become yours. It's an intervention for those segments of our people who cannot access bank loans," said Benjamin.
The town council has also approved a joint venture of eight developers who each got about 10 hectares of land to service erven.
Swakopmund also has other housing projects. In Mondesa, developers have completed 119 flats while another area next to the flats is being serviced to accommodate 250 houses.
There is also a development along the Henties Bay road, where houses are being constructed for middle-income earners.