Fight+for+property+in+a+growing+population
Fight for Property in a Growing Population As urban populations swell, the demand for land and housing intensifies, igniting fierce battles over property ownership. The struggle for shelter becomes a defining issue, pitting individuals, families, and communities against formidable forces. Escalating Prices and Limited Supply Population growth has fueled a surge in property values. In cities bursting at the seams, land becomes a scarce commodity, driving prices out of reach for many. Developers capitalize on the demand, constructing luxury apartments and condos that only the wealthy can afford. Displacement and Gentrification As property values soar, low-income residents and communities of color often find themselves priced out of their homes. Gentrification transforms neighborhoods, displacing vulnerable populations and destroying the social fabric that has held them together. Speculation and Corporate Interests Investors and corporations have also entered the property market, fueling speculation and further exacerbating the affordability crisis. They buy up entire blocks of land, driving up prices and making it virtually impossible for average buyers to compete. Government Intervention Recognizing the gravity of the situation, governments have stepped in to regulate the property market. Measures such as rent control, affordable housing programs, and tax incentives aim to make housing more accessible. However, these policies often face resistance from developers and landlords who prioritize profits over social equity. Community Resistance Faced with displacement and property speculation, communities are fighting back. They organize protests, file lawsuits, and advocate for policies that protect their rights to affordable housing. Grassroots movements are also emerging, offering alternative housing models such as co-housing and community land trusts. The Human Toll The fight for property has profound human consequences. People who lose their homes become homeless, living on the streets or in shelters. Families are torn apart, and the stress of housing insecurity takes a toll on physical and mental health. Paths Forward Addressing the property crisis requires bold solutions. Governments must invest in affordable housing, regulate the market to prevent speculation, and strengthen renter protections. Developers should be held accountable for creating equitable developments that benefit all members of the community. Moreover, community empowerment is essential. By supporting grassroots organizations and providing resources for affordable housing, we can give voice to the most vulnerable and ensure that everyone has a place to call home. The fight for property in a growing population is a complex and multifaceted issue. By understanding the dynamics at play, implementing comprehensive policies, and empowering communities, we can work towards a future where everyone has access to affordable and secure housing.

Kalumba World Salvation

With 34 years of freedom, independence, and sovereignty, Namibia celebrated its 1990 political victory over the brutal South African apartheid regime regularly but memorably.

However, after three and a half decades of annual celebrations, the patriotic euphoria that filled the country with the handover of power in 1990 has been impossible to replicate, especially in the face of a declining economy and rising cost of living.

Although significant, the usefulness of past political achievements in a postcolonial Namibia faces peculiar economic challenges, chief of which is the housing crisis. The housing shortage has been a major concern over the past three presidential administrations and appears to be increasing beyond manageable limits despite persistent government interventions.

From the dawn of independence until 2022, house prices have risen at an average of 8.7% annually, and according to a World Bank estimate, the national housing backlog now stands at 300,000 units, with some experts speculating that it could be 500,000.

When these World Bank findings are compared to the recently revealed population census, the housing to population ratio drops to 1:10; in simpler terms, each unit is expected to house at least 10 people. Furthermore, the Namibia Hut Dwellers Federation revealed that at least 80% of the country’s urban population now lives in shacks and informal settlements.

Ultimately, the reality of Namibia’s housing development process indicates that for every brick house built, there are four shacks to counteract it. In 2022, the Land of the Brave emerged as the second most unequal country in the world according to the World Bank’s Gini Index, behind its seemingly immovable neighbor South Africa. The couple has maintained these positions to this day. Income inequality further relegates, not only the country’s lower class but also the middle class, from the race to buy a home. In light of these factors, the World Economic Forum notes that 90% of Namibians do not qualify for a home mortgage. This simply means that, in the event that the current housing construction backlog is reversed and the Namibian government develops over 300,000 housing units while all financial variables remain the same, 90% of the country’s population I still couldn’t afford it.

Beyond statistical representations, the truth about housing provision in Namibia runs deep: the majority of Namibians simply can no longer afford housing. This begs the question: how did this promising sub-Saharan country once bursting with economic growth and characterized by peace and prosperity become overtaken by homelessness? How did a country with one of the lowest populations and second-lowest population density in the world become trapped in service delivery paralysis? Concessions must be made that the housing shortage has outlived all presidential socio-economic land handover strategies, including the 1992 Build Together Programme, the 1998 National Housing Policy (NHP), the 1998 Mass Housing Development Programme.+2013, and the Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP) 2016.

One of the key, if not the main, reasons why housing demand has outstripped its supply in urban areas is due to rapid urbanization, along with rigid provision of residential land services by local authorities, and explains the enigma of the country’s real estate crisis. Broadly speaking, skyrocketing house prices and the proliferation of informal settlements can be attributed to the inability of municipalities to keep pace with their growing populations. Frustrated bureaucratic processes, inadequate funding, and unavailability of land paralyze service delivery in all municipalities, leading to municipal inefficiency in housing provision. For example, according to the Windhoek City Council meeting and agenda on August 5, 2021, NHE had a waiting list of more than 90,000 applicants nationwide.

Of these, 20,000 (22%) were in Windhoek. It was further revealed that from 2010 to 2020, only 400 applicants were allocated housing in Windhoek and as a percentage point, less than 2% of applicants were successful over a 10-year period. Generally speaking, service provision in the aforementioned circumstances is virtually stagnant, if not completely non-existent.

The other reason often given by local authorities for delays in the delivery of serviced land is the cost of the land service.

With an average maintenance cost of N$650 per square meter in the capital, the task of maintaining residential land can often be too expensive, especially in rocky, mountainous, and steeply sloping locations like Windhoek. The cost of labor increases exponentially due to the sophistry of earthmoving equipment and construction machinery. Furthermore, the City of Windhoek revealed that another contributing factor is the lack of availability of land, Windhoek is located within high mountains on all sides and the experience of gradual expansion has led to increasingly higher offers for the remaining land, which which has forced land prices to increase.

These factors partly explain the price discrepancies between the capital and other cities. For example, the average price of land in a middle-income suburb in Windhoek is 11 times what it would cost in Keetmanshoop.

A piece of land valued at N$208,000 in Windhoek would cost N$18,500 in Keetmanshoop, N$76,000 in Swakopmund, and N$26,000 in Katima Mulilo, a staggering and disheartening difference. As things stand, Windhoek, the capital, is the epicenter of unaffordable housing. Combine the high cost of land with construction costs, bank interest charges, transfer costs, and tedious bureaucratic processes and a vivid reason gradually emerges.

Taking into consideration the magnitude and depth of Namibia’s housing crisis, it is reasonable to believe that it now requires swift and decisive interventions. Regarding factors that are substantially difficult to resolve and that may be beyond the scope of governance, such as construction costs, there are a couple of problems that seem self-inflicted.

The insistence on the participation of municipal bodies in the construction of housing should be channeled towards the use of land instead of the massive construction of housing. This simply means that the government should channel more funds into land servicing, since it is much cheaper to service residential land and sell it to capable buyers than to build houses for half a million people. Even when looked at mathematically, Namibia has a backlog of 300,000 units and the construction cost ranges between N$300,000 and N$600,000 for a standard three-bedroom house, it would be overly expensive at best and trivial in effect at worst.+. There is a need for the government to fill this gap through construction. Furthermore, if the burden of housing fell on“intermediaries,” the expense would stifle the service. Instead, privatized residential land purchase and self-construction would be a faster, more efficient, and less costly approach.

Instead of calling for construction tenders, municipalities should focus their attention on maintaining residential land, subjecting housing applications to standardized housing criteria, and allowing capable buyers to self-build their own properties. Furthermore, the magnitude of the crisis is at a point where it requires an exponential increase in municipal capacity for approval processes.

With the current minimum construction rate across the country, it is still slow to simply apply for housing plan approval. If the volume of requests increases, which is imminent due to demographic projections, service delivery will be stifled.

A rapid expansion of human resources seems inevitable for Namibian municipalities to lubricate bureaucratic stagnation. Either municipalities keep up with growing demands or urban populations are ungovernable to expand.

Ultimately, amidst a wide range of political and socio-economic problems, Namibia’s housing shortage has stood the test of time. The lack of housing availability has led to a gradual disappearance of the“middle class” and an absolute lack of housing for“low-income households,” if there are any houses at all. As long as the reality of homelessness does not find a sense of institutionalized urgency, it could be perpetual and worsen as the years go by.

*+Kalumba Salvation Mundia has a degree in Public Management+(Political Sciences)+and a real estate agent.