Editorial – Namibia is clean – let us maintain the standard

Namibia is generally considered one of Africa’s, if not the world’s, cleanest countries, with excellent road infrastructure. If you follow the profiles of some of the tourists and other visitors who come to Namibia, their comments would often be along the lines of: “It’s beyond my expectations”, “It doesn’t feel like you are in Africa” or “It feels like you are in a European country.”

These are certainly compliments that we should be proud of. But if we are not working hard to maintain this standard, we stand to lose this status because of the neglect of certain areas, especially informal locations where waste management is not taken seriously in some of our towns.

While there are towns that are working seriously towards the formalisation of informal settlements, others appear not to care much about such locations, where garbage is hardly picked up, dirty water runs all over and people erect shacks in an unregulated manner. The erection of shacks is understandable, given the lack of housing in the country, but it should still be regulated. At the same time, in places like Windhoek, new settlements are emerging every now and then, even in formal settlements and areas demarcated for formal establishments.

This is obviously a formula for disaster, including upheavals when the city eventually has to move people from such areas. The longer authorities allow informal settlements to grow in unplanned areas, the more difficult and costly it becomes to resolve the situation later.

Establishment of shacks, such as those close to the Katutura Magistrates’ Court and Baboon City, were not allowed to be there in the first place. The Katutura Youth Centre, a whole government property, has now turned into a location with shacks everywhere. Yet the city has allowed this to happen.

Yes, people need housing. But what are we doing about it? Do local authorities have formulas to cater for growing populations? Are we planning sufficiently ahead to ensure that people have access to land and basic services before they are forced to occupy spaces that were not intended for residential purposes?

There are lessons that Windhoek can learn from smaller towns such as Oshakati, which is working towards formalising informal settlements by properly demarcating land, servicing it and allowing communities to put up shacks in an orderly manner.

This approach recognises the reality that people need somewhere to live, while also ensuring that settlements are planned, accessible and easier to service. As Namibia’s population grows and more people move to urban areas in search of opportunities, informal settlements will remain a reality unless we address the underlying housing and land challenges. We therefore need a more proactive approach from local authorities, rather than waiting for informal settlements to mushroom before attempting to deal with them.

Our clean towns, good roads and generally orderly environment are part of what makes Namibia attractive to tourists, investors and its own people.

Let us therefore not take this status for granted. Maintaining a clean Namibia requires proper planning by responsible local authorities and cooperation from communities.

We have built a reputation for cleanliness and order. Let us work together to ensure that we do not lose it through neglect.

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