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ORANJEMUND mayor Elias Kasemba will not allow shacks or informal settlements at the town.

This is despite a lack of accommodation at the town.

Currently, there is an informal settlement called Baghdad, which is a former Namdeb constructor’s caravan site that was illegally occupied by those who did not qualify for Namdeb housing.

Those living at Baghdad are mainly domestic workers and employees of contractors at the town.

“We don’t want this town to have shacks or those funny things. We need to educate our people. This is our country and our land. Everyone needs a decent place called home. Our resources, our money,” he said.

Kasemba promised that as long as he is in the council no one will live in a shack in Oranjemund as his dream is to have a shack-free town.

“We can assist anyone who earns N$1 500 with a one-bedroom house with a toilet and shower. If they can at least pay bond repayment of N$600 to own land,” he said.

Council has set aside a piece of land with over 80 plots to relocate the middle-income people from Baghdad.

Already 50 houses were built under the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia scheme.

One of the challenges to overcoming the shortage of accommodation at the town was the delay of the sale of 1 126 properties, which have been upgraded by Namdeb since 2018.

Namdeb is said to have ignored a ministerial approval granted in July 2018 for the council to sell 1 126 properties.

This resulted in the mining giant owing the town council more than N$121 million in rent and for the sale of land.

The two parties continued engagements on the matter, which was resolved in June this year.

Kasemba said this is one of the key successes of the council to date.

“We resolved the issue and those houses are in the process of being sold to the owners,” he said, adding that deeds of sale are expected to be signed this week.

Namdeb spokesperson Shangelao Ndadi said the extension of the life-of-mine to 2042 increases the opportunity for the successful economic transformation of Oranjemund, and the public ownership of properties.

Mining operations would have ceased in 2022.

“The sale of properties at Oranjemund is a key component to the future success of the town,” she said.

The company has spent over N$486 million since 2017 on infrastructure transfer and approximately N$111 million on infrastructure refurbishment and maintenance.

“These investments are in addition to Namdeb still having to maintain a school and hospital at the town, which are the key employee value proposition factors for the company and other entities. Furthermore, over N$70 million has been directed to sustainability and social-economic development opportunities for Oranjemund, over the last two years as part of the Oranjemund Town Transformation strategy,” said Ndadi.