Preliminary
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Namibia Urban Land Statistics Bulletin Vol.1, Issue 1A - December 2021
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Namibia can broadly be divided into three land classes of state land, communal and commercial
agriculture land. State land can further be subdivided into broad classes of parks, restricted areas and
urban land. Urban land is any proclaimed land that is held under the various local authorities and
governed in accordance with the Local Authority Act, No. 23 of 1992 as amended.
In 2018, it was estimated that urban land, excluding the expanded city boundary of Windhoek,
accounted for about 1% of the total land mass or 795,244 hectares. The country has experienced rapid
urbanisation that has exerted pressure on the availability of urban land and services. The provision of
land and basic services, inadequate housing, lack of land tenure security resulting in mushrooming of
informal settlements, and inadequate basic urban infrastructure capacity are some of the challenges.
The NSA produced the first Land Statistics Booklet in September 2018. This was the first step towards
a deliberate effort to regularly publish land statistics generated through the NSDI. The plan has not
gone well due to the unwillingness of some key data custodians to fully participate in the NSDI
government initiative.
Despite the above challenge, this urban land statistics bulletin is a continuation of the 2018 land
statistics booklet and provides a summary of available urban zoned land in nine (9) out of the fourteen
(14) regions of the country. The bulletin provides summaries of the number of serviced plots in all the
proclaimed urban areas of the following regions: Erongo, Kunene, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto,
Ohangwena, Kavango West, Kavango East and Zambezi. The emphasis of the publication is mainly on
residential land while also accounting for other urban land uses. The bulletin also delivers a
comparison of the size of zoned urban land as a proportion to the remaining townland in each urban
locality.
In terms of town planning cadastral data, NSA could only manage to acquire data from 9 regions
between November 2020 and February 2021. The remaining 5 regions of Hardap, !Karas, Khomas,
Omaheke and Otjozondjupa are expected to be covered during the window of November 2021 to
February 2022. I must indicate that land use changes continuously; thus the statistics provided in this
bulletin are based on the harmonised digital town planning data acquired during the mentioned
reference period. I wish to express my utmost appreciation for the cooperation NSA received from
some of the Local Authorities during this compilation.
It is important that Local Authorities move towards the digitalisation of their land records by setting
up their Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to aid in better urban land management, spatial
planning and national reporting. Consequently, I pledge the Agencys readiness to support any
capacity building effort aimed at improving spatial data management and reporting at local, regional
and national level.
ALEX SHIMUAFENI
STATISTICIAN-GENERAL & CEO
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Namibia Urban Land Statistics Bulletin Vol.1, Issue 1A - December 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................... 1
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................ 3
LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................................. 4
LIST OF ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................................... 5
DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERMS ............................................................................................................. 6
KEY UNITS OF MEASUREMENTS ........................................................................................................ 7
1. SCOPE OF THE BULLETIN ........................................................................................................... 8
2. DRIVERS TO THIS URBAN LAND STATISTICS BULLETIN .............................................................. 8
3. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................................ 9
3.1 Data Collection and Classification ....................................................................................... 9
3.2 Data Conversion ............................................................................................................... 10
3.3 Harmonisation of Zoning Schemes ................................................................................... 11
3.4 Generation of Summary tables and graphs ....................................................................... 12
4. LIMITATIONS .......................................................................................................................... 13
5. GENERAL STATUS OF URBAN LAND STATISTICS ...................................................................... 14
5.1 Size and Condition of Urban Land by Land Service Status and Region ............................... 14
5.2 Distribution of Zoned Urban Plots by Region .................................................................... 16
5.3 Comparison of Total Urban Plots to Residential Plots by Region ....................................... 17
6. REGIONAL URBAN LAND USE STATISTICS ............................................................................... 19
6.1 Erongo Region .................................................................................................................. 20
6.2 Kavango East Region ........................................................................................................ 23
6.3 Kavango West Region ....................................................................................................... 25
6.4 Kunene Region ................................................................................................................. 26
6.5 Ohangwena Region .......................................................................................................... 29
6.6 Omusati Region ................................................................................................................ 32
6.7 Oshana Region ................................................................................................................. 35
6.8 Oshikoto Region ............................................................................................................... 38
6.9 Zambezi Region ................................................................................................................ 41
7. GENERAL SUMMARIES ............................................................................................................ 44
7.1 Size of Urban Localities in the 9 assessed Regions............................................................. 44
7.2 Percentage size of Zoned Townland by Urban Locality ...................................................... 44
7.3 Total Number of Zoned Plots by Urban Locality (All Land Uses) ........................................ 45
7.4 Total Number of Residential-Zoned Plots by Urban Locality .............................................. 45
8. CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................... 47
9. RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................. 48
9.1 Validation of the Urban Land Statistics Bulletin ................................................................ 48
9.2 Effective Land Management at Local Authority Level ........................................................ 48
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Namibia Urban Land Statistics Bulletin Vol.1, Issue 1A - December 2021
9.3 Capacity Building at Local Authority Level ......................................................................... 48
9.4 Standardising Zoning Schemes at Local Authority Level for National Statistical Reporting
and Comparability ....................................................................................................................... 48
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 3.1.1 Number of Local Authorities by Status in Namibia .......................................................... 9
Figure 3.1.2 Number of assessed Local Authorities by Status in Namibia .......................................... 10
Figure 3.1.3 Number of assessed Urban Localities by Region ........................................................... 10
Figure-3.3.1 Example zoning map in a GIS software with unstandardised land uses ......................... 11
Figure 5.1.1: Percentage of Townland Size by Region ....................................................................... 15
Figure 5.1.2: Percentage Comparison of Townland boundary to zoned-urban land .......................... 15
Figure 5.1.3: Ratio of zoned-urban land to townland size by Region ................................................. 16
Figure 5.2.1: Percentage of Urban Zoned Plots by Region ................................................................ 17
Figure 5.3.1 Observed GIS data gap between Ondangwa and Oniipa in Oshana and Oshikoto Regions
........................................................................................................................................................ 18
Figure 5.3.2 Percentage distribution of Urban Residential Plots by Region ....................................... 19
Figure 6.1.1 Percentage of Townland Size by urban Locality in Erongo Region ................................. 20
Figure 6.1.2: Percentage comparison of townland by land use zoning status in Erongo Region ........ 21
Figure 6.1.3: Percentage distribution of Residential Plots by urban locality in Erongo Region ........... 22
Figure 6.2.1 Percentage of Townland Size by urban Locality in Kavango East Region ........................ 23
Figure 6.2.2: Percentage distribution of zoned plots by urban locality and land use in Kavango East
Region ............................................................................................................................................. 24
Figure 6.4.1 Percentage of Townland by urban Locality in Kunene Region........................................ 26
Figure 6.4.2: Percentage distribution land by urban locality and zoning status in Kunene Region ..... 27
Figure 6.4.3: Percentage distribution land by urban locality and zoning status in Kunene Region ..... 28
Figure 6.5.1 Percentage of Townland by urban Locality in Ohangwena Region ................................. 29
Figure 6.5.2: Percentage distribution land by urban locality and zoning status in Ohangwena Region
........................................................................................................................................................ 30
Figure 6.5.3: Percentage distribution Plots by urban locality and zoning status in Ohangwena Region
........................................................................................................................................................ 31
Figure 6.6.1 Percentage of Townland Size by Urban Locality in Omusati Region ............................... 32
Figure 6.6.2: Figure 6.6.3 Percentage distribution of land by urban locality and zoning status in
Oshana Region ................................................................................................................................ 33
Figure 6.6.4: Percentage distribution land by urban locality and zoning status in Omusati Region .... 34
Figure 6.7.1 Percentage size of Townland by Urban Locality in Oshana Region................................. 35
Figure 6.7.2 Percentage distribution of land by urban locality and zoning status in Oshana Region .. 36
Figure 6.7.3 Percentage distribution of Zoned Plots by Urban Locality in Oshana Region ................. 37
Figure 6.8.1 Percentage size of Townland by Urban Locality in Oshikoto Region .............................. 38
Figure 6.8.2 Percentage distribution of land by urban locality and zoning status in Oshikoto Region 39
Figure 6.8.3 Percentage distribution of Zoned Plots by Urban Locality in Oshikoto Region ............... 40
Figure 6.9.1 Percentage size of Townland by Urban Locality in Zambezi Region ............................... 41
Figure 6.9.2 Percentage distribution of land by urban locality and zoning status in Oshana Region .. 42
Figure 6.9.3 Presentation distribution of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality in Zambezi Region ... 43
Figure 7.1.1 Size of urban localities in hectares ................................................................................ 44
Figure 7.2.1 Percentage of zoned townland by urban locality........................................................... 44
Figure 7.3.1 Number of Urban Plots (all land uses) by Urban Locality ............................................... 45
Figure 7.4.1 Number of Urban Residential Plots by Urban Locality ................................................... 46
Figure 7.4.2 Percentage of Residential Plots to Total Urban Plots by Urban Locality ......................... 46
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Namibia Urban Land Statistics Bulletin Vol.1, Issue 1A - December 2021
LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.3.1 Harmonised zoning information..................................................................................... 12
Table 5.1.1: Distribution of townland by service status and Region .................................................. 14
Table 5.2.1: Number of zoned urban plots by Region ....................................................................... 16
Table 5.3.1 Comparison of Residential Zoned Plots to total Urban Zoned Plots by Region ................ 17
Table 6.1.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use zoning status in Erongo Region ................ 20
Table 6.1.2 Number of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality and Zoning Status in Erongo ............... 21
Table 6.1.3: Percentage distribution of urban zoned plots by urban locality in Erongo Region .......... 22
Table 6.2.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use status in Kavango East ............................. 23
Table 6.2.2 Number of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality in Kavango East Region ....................... 24
Table 6.2.3 Number of Zoned Plots by Urban Locality and Zoning Status in Kavango East Region ..... 24
Table 6.3.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use status in Kavango West............................ 25
Table 6.3.2 Number of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality and Zoning Status in Kavango West .... 25
Table 6.4.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use status in Kunene ...................................... 26
Table 6.4.2 Number of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality and Zoning Status in Kunene ............... 27
Table 6.4.3 Percentage distribution of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality in Kunene Region ........ 27
Table 6.5.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use zoning status in Ohangwena Region ........ 29
Table 6.5.2 Number of Zoned Plots by Urban Locality and Zoning Status in Ohangwena Region ....... 30
Table 6.5.3 Percentage distribution of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality in Ohangwena Region . 30
Table 6.6.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use status in Omusati Region ......................... 32
Table 6.6.2 Number of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality and Zoning Status in Omusati Region .. 33
Table 6.6.3 Percentage distribution of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality in Omusati Region ....... 33
Table 6.7.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use status in Oshana ...................................... 35
Table 6.7.2 Number of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality and Zoning Status in Oshana Region ... 36
Table 6.7.3 Percentage of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Localities of Oshana Region ........................ 36
Table 6.8.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use status in Oshikoto Region ........................ 38
Table 6.8.2 Number of Urban Zoned Plots by Zoning Status and Locality in Oshikoto Region ........... 39
Table 6.8.3 Percentage distribution of Urban Zoned Plots in Urban Localities of Oshikoto Region .... 39
Table 6.9.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use status in Zambezi ..................................... 41
Table 6.9.2 Number of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality and Zoning Status in Zambezi Region .. 42
Table 6.9.3 Percentage distribution of Urban Zoned Plots in Urban Localities of Zambezi Region ..... 42
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Namibia Urban Land Statistics Bulletin Vol.1, Issue 1A - December 2021
LIST OF ACRONYMS
GIS Geographic Information System
MURD Ministry of Urban and Rural Development
NSA Namibia Statistics Agency
NSDI National Spatial Data Infrastructure
PDF Portable Document File
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Namibia Urban Land Statistics Bulletin Vol.1, Issue 1A - December 2021
DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERMS
AutoCAD A computer-aided design (CAD) program used for 2 and 3-dimension design and
drafting.
Standardised
Land Use Zones
Business, Institutional, Open Spaces, Residential, Street, Nature Reserve, Urban
Agriculture
Land Use The surface utilization of all developed and vacant land on a specific point, at a
given time and space.
Local Authority See urban below.
Urban In Namibia, any area that is proclaimed by government in accordance with the
Local Authority Act, No. 23 of 1992 as amended. The three official classifications
in Namibia are municipalities, towns and villages.
Zoning a method of urban planning in which a local authority or other tier of
government divides land into areas called zones based on the preferred land use,
each of which has a set of regulations for new development.
Zoning Scheme A document consisting of land use regulations regarding the use of each piece of
land, a register which contains a record of all departures granted from the
original use on that piece of land and the zoning maps which indicate zoning and
other stipulations for the areas.
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Namibia Urban Land Statistics Bulletin Vol.1, Issue 1A - December 2021
KEY UNITS OF MEASUREMENTS
Only one unit of measurement is used throughout this bulletin. Urban land parcels are consolidated
per land use zone and calculated in hectares. The townland boundaries and aggregated land use zones
of each urban land use zone are also calculated in hectares.
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Namibia Urban Land Statistics Bulletin Vol.1, Issue 1A - December 2021
1. SCOPE OF THE BULLETIN
This publication only covers urban land for thirty (30) Local Authorities in 9 regions of Erongo, Kavango
East, Kavango West, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto and Zambezi. The bulletin only
covers municipalities, towns and village councils. Proclaimed settlement areas held under the various
regional councils are not included. Similarly, only urban land use information and data available in the
National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) was used to compile the bulletin.
The data was collected during November 2020 and February 2021. Some of the local authorities
indicated that they have submitted new townships and extensions for approval during the reference
period. These proposed townships and extensions were excluded from this publication because of the
potential changes or recommendations that might arise from the approval process. Therefore only
approved zoned land parcels were considered throughout this publication.
2. DRIVERS TO THIS URBAN LAND STATISTICS BULLETIN
There is a general consensus that publicly accessible housing and land related statistics in Namibia are
very limited. Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) is mandated by the Statistics Act, No. 9 of 2011 to
coordinate the establishment of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure as means to facilitate the
capturing, management, distribution and use of spatial information in Namibia. Since 2015, the
Agency has actively assembled an institutional and operational framework for this coordination. In
2017, the Agency managed to centralise access to and distribution of publicly available spatial data by
developing an online national geographic portal (https://digitalnamibia.nsa.org.na). The geoportal has
attracted geospatial information access not only within the country but globally. To this end, Namibia
is highly regarded on the African continent.
In 2018, through the NSDI, the NSA was able to produce the first National Land Statistics Booklet,
detailing the historical land allocation including assessing the status of the land reform programme in
the country. The booklet provided basic land statistics on land classification and land tenure with
emphasis on the Agricultural (Commercial) land and ongoing government land reform
programmes/initiatives. Because of the challenges in accessing stakeholder land databases at the
time, the publication did not cover urban land.
This bulletin is therefore aimed at validating of and providing some basic urban land statistics available
in the NSDI as a means to start a public and institutional debate on the quality, relevance and
accessibility of land databases for national statistical reporting. There has been a reluctance by NSDI
participating government institutions to avail spatial data and statistics as per the Statistics Act, and
this has weakened national reporting. Similarly, there are perceptible poor data management
practices among data custodians which could explain this hesitancy. Therefore it is anticipated that
the bulletin will trigger regular and transparent land statistics reporting in the country. The data used
to compute statistics in the bulletin are used as-is and the methodology is described in the next
chapter.
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Namibia Urban Land Statistics Bulletin Vol.1, Issue 1A - December 2021
3. METHODOLOGY
3.1 Data Collection and Classification
The main data source of this bulletin is the land use zoning data from the Local Authorities in Namibia.
The Local Authorities consist of municipalities, towns and village councils that are governed in
accordance with the Local Authorities Act, No. 23 of 1992 as amended. There are 57 proclaimed Local
Authorities in Namibia consisting of 13 Municipalities or 31.6%, 26 Towns or 45.6% and 18 Village
Councils or 22.8% (Figure 3.1.1).
Figure 3.1.1 Number of Local Authorities by Status in Namibia
The NSA collected urban land use zoning spatial data from nine (9) regions, namely Erongo, Kavango
East, Kavango West, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto and Zambezi. The data formed
part of what exist in the NSDI and came in different formats such as Geographic Information System
(GIS) shapefiles, Portable Document Formats (PDFs) and AutoCAD formats. A total of 192,261 plots
were examined from 30 Local Authorities representing 53% of the total proclaimed Local Authorities
in the country. Figure 3.1.2 below shows the distribution of the assessed Local Authorities by their
statuses.
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Namibia Urban Land Statistics Bulletin Vol.1, Issue 1A - December 2021
Figure 3.1.2 Number of assessed Local Authorities by Status in Namibia
Erongo Region has most of the urban localities that were assessed followed by Omusati and Kunene,
while Kavango West has only one urban locality which is Nkurenkuru (Figure 3.1.3).
Figure 3.1.3 Number of assessed Urban Localities by Region
3.2 Data Conversion
It was found that zoning maps and information in most Local authorities are stored and derived from
a file stored as PDF. AutoCAD software formatted files are also used while a few Local Authorities have
GIS software. While the PDF format is easily managed, the format is not ideal for storing and managing
geographic information. The format is static in nature and does not provide any logical structure or
relationship between different land classes as they happen in the real world. A GIS is an intelligent
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Namibia Urban Land Statistics Bulletin Vol.1, Issue 1A - December 2021
way of storing locational information as it retains feature relationships that follow real-world
behaviours, allowing for asking and answering spatial related questions.
Data was obtained and converted from AutoCAD files to GIS shapefiles. A GIS database was created
to store all the converted and processed files. The different land zoning files were converted to GIS
file format to allow for geometric calculations and generation of spatial and non-spatial statistics. The
zoning tables were linked to their respectful parcels of land or plots using the PDF files from the Local
Authorities as reference.
3.3 Harmonisation of Zoning Schemes
A zoning scheme is a tool or way of classifying different pieces of land within the boundary of a local
authority based on the best future or planned land use. Every piece of land in a local authority must
be accounted for in terms of land tenure, land use, land value, land size and any other basic
characteristics. It was evident that different local authorities use different zoning schemes to classify
their land. The difference in zoning schemes makes it difficult to statistically report and compare land
uses across the country. See the legend in Figure 3.3.1 below.
Figure-3.3.1 Example zoning map in a GIS software with unstandardised land uses
The NSA and Ministry of Urban and Rural Development (MURD) are tasked to develop a National
Housing Information System which will provide statistics on housing stock, land use, housing needs
and informal settlements. The project is at an advanced stage and is anticipated to change or improve
the existing workflows in all the relevant stakeholder institutions that are dealing with land and
housing information. The system will centralise land and housing statistics nationally.
Zoning schemes which were made available by the Local Authorities in 9 regions during November
2020 and February 2021 were used to organise the data. A stakeholder workshop organised by the
NSA together with MURD in June 2021 recommended for the harmonisation of the more than 128
land zoning classes in the above 9 regions. The harmonisation exercise shall be extended to the rest
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Namibia Urban Land Statistics Bulletin Vol.1, Issue 1A - December 2021
of the country in order to standardise geostatistical reports. Two levels of classification were created.
Seven (7) standard classes at level 1 and subclasses at level 2 were formulated as shown in Table 3.3.1.
Table 3.3.1 Harmonised zoning information
LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 SECONDARY USE
1.1 Residential 1.1.1 Single Residential
1.1.2 General Residential
1.1.3 Rural Residential
Residential Formal
Residential Informal
Home-Based Business
1.2 Street
1.3 Open Space 1.3.1 Public Open Space
1.3.2 Private Open Space
Sports Field
1.4 Business 1.4.1 Light Industrial
1.4.2 Heavy Industrial
1.4.3 Office
1.4.4 Restricted Business
1.4.5 General Business
1.5 Institutional 1.5.1 Private
1.5.2 Public
1.5.3 Government
1.5.4 Local Authority
1.6 Nature Reserves
1.7 Urban Agriculture
It was recommended that Local Authorities can use their area-specific zoning schemes to classify their
land but must have aggregated standard level 1 and level 2 classes for comparability and statistical
purposes. NSA converted all the data received into one file and performed a reclassification exercise
to classify land into the associated parent land use zones at level 1. Calculations were made based on
the aggregated land use zones at level 1 using zoning information from level 2.
3.4 Generation of Summary tables and graphs
Following the completion of data preparation in a GIS software, database queries were performed to
derive the different summaries based on a predefined tabulation plan. This involved the counting of
each land use zone as well as calculating geometric areas. It must be mentioned here that the
calculated sizes of land parcels are a database reflection only and might slightly deviate from the
registered sizes in the Deeds Office. The generated tables were exported to Microsoft Excel for further
analysis and generation of tables, graphs and charts.
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Namibia Urban Land Statistics Bulletin Vol.1, Issue 1A - December 2021
4. LIMITATIONS
There are a number of limitations to this publication. Firstly, the bulletin does not cover Hardap,
//Kharas, Khomas, Omaheke and Otjozondjupa regions due to lack of data. Data collection for these
regions has commenced and was still ongoing at the time of publication. Therefore the bulletin only
covers data that was available in the NSDI in digital form. Secondly, it must be noted that at the time
of data collection and compilation, conditions in various Local Authorities might have changed. Thus,
the statistics contained in the bulletin might have slightly changed as well. The bulletin will
consequently serve as a tool for data validation by NSA and data custodians.
Another limitation is the inability to link ownership information to the urban land as a means to
compare land holding within the assessed urban localities. Work on linking land tenure, value and
general ownership information is expected to commence separately. The last limitation faced is the
lack of properly managed GIS databases in many Local Authorities to effectively manage land. Most
Local Authorities make use of the PDF file format to visualise and store their zoning maps. This resulted
in prolonged data conversion and processing work before any analysis could be done.
It must be reiterated that the publication is only a reflection of the digital data that is within the NSDI
as of February 2021. The different standings in our Local Authorities might have changed after the
data collection period. It was noted that some plots exist in Local authorities which are partly serviced.
These are not included in this bulletin as they are still in the process of approval. However, the
comparative statistics computed should be reflective enough to provide a general overview of the
conditions in our urban localities. The computation of townland and zoning geometric data might
introduce projection and rounding errors. These are generally assumed to be insignificant over
generalised large areas and should not distort the general representation.
Furthermore, the digital data speaks to the need for quality assessment of the zoning information
nationally including the evaluation of the townland geometries. It was observed that there are
boundary issues between townland boundaries and also townland boundaries and constituency
boundaries. Noticeable was the topological issues observed between the townland boundary of
Ondangwa and Oniipa and overlapping Rundu townland with the constituency boundary. In such
instances the zoning information was used to reclassify the data.
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Namibia Urban Land Statistics Bulletin Vol.1, Issue 1A - December 2021
5. GENERAL STATUS OF URBAN LAND STATISTICS
This section provides a summary of the outcome of the analysis made on the townland and land use
zoning information. The 9 regions have a combined townland size of 370,452.9 hectares with 71,686.8
hectares of already zoned, representing 19.4% of the total urban land. In total 192,261 plots in 9
regions were classified into standardised land use classes to derive summaries by land use, locality
and region. The townland sizes are compared with the size of zoned land for each region. The following
sections provide the summary descriptive statistics.
5.1 Size and Condition of Urban Land by Land Service Status and Region
Table 5.1.1: Distribution of townland by service status and Region
Region Name
Townland
Boundary Size
(Ha)
Townland
Size (%)
Size of Zoned
Land (Ha)
Urban Zoned
Land (%)
Urban Un-
zoned Land (%)
Erongo 183793.4 49.6 45144.6 24.6 75.4
Kavango East 17450.6 4.7 4249.9 24.4 75.6
Kavango
West 4912.2 1.3 1662.9 33.9 66.1
Kunene 43395.2 11.7 1020.4 2.4 97.6
Ohangwena 13056.4 3.5 2853.5 21.9 78.1
Omusati 13750.7 3.7 3123.7 22.6 77.4
Oshana 19952.9 5.4 9166.3 45.9 54.1
Oshikoto 68238.7 18.4 2251.8 3.3 96.7
Zambezi 5902.8 1.6 2223.5 37.7 62.3
Total 370452.9 100.0 71686.8 19.4 80.6
Formulations:
** 5G5\\5d5[5Y5N5[5Q555\\5b5[5Q5N5_5f5F5V5g5R(%) = 56789:8;<=>?6@AB?C?D=68
56A:956789:8;<=>?@6E:99FC?D=68G
** Size of 5M5\\5[5R5Q5?5N5[5Q(%) = J68?;56789:8;<=>?6@AB?C?D=68
56A:956789:8;<=>?@6EAB?C?D=68
Table 5.1.1 compares the size of zoned urban land versus un-zoned/unallocated land use by region
and total urban land size. Erongo region has the largest urban land at 183,793.4 hectares, making up
49.6% of total urban land in the 9 regions followed by Oshikoto at 68,238.7 hectares or 18.4%. Kavango
West and Zambezi regions contributes only 1.3% and 1.6% of the total townlands among the 9 regions
at 4,912.2 and 5,902.8 hectares respectively. The percentage of townland size by region is graphically
shown in Figure 5.1.1 below.
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Namibia Urban Land Statistics Bulletin Vol.1, Issue 1A - December 2021
Figure 5.1.1: Percentage of Townland Size by Region
In terms of zoning, Figure 5.1.2 below shows that Kunene Region has the most un-zoned urban land
among the 9 regions at 97.6% followed by Oshikoto at 96.7%. Oshana and Zambezi regions have more
zoned land at 45.9% and 37.7% of their townlands already zoned. This means that the two regions
have the highest predetermined land uses for their urban areas when compared to other regions. This
might also be an indication that the two regions are running out of urban land if most of the
predetermined land uses are allocated ownership. This publication does not include any linkage
between zoning and ownership information.
Figure 5.1.2: Percentage Comparison of Townland boundary to zoned-urban land
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Namibia Urban Land Statistics Bulletin Vol.1, Issue 1A - December 2021
Figure 5.1.3 shows the regional ratios of townland size to zoned urban land in the 9 regions. This
indicator provide further clarity on the remaining urban land by region. This is calculated as follows:
Ratio of Zoned Urban Land 5e = 56789:8;<=>?(L:)
<=>?6@MEN:8J68?;O:8;
Figure 5.1.3: Ratio of zoned-urban land to townland size by Region
The ratios quantifies the amount of remaining urban land by region. Kunene zoned urban land is 42.5
times smaller than the size of urban land in the region at a ratio of 1:42.5 followed by Oshikoto at
1:30.3. The ratios are smaller in Oshana at 1:2.2 and Zambezi at 1:2.7 signifying that the two regions
have less un-zoned land remaining.
5.2 Distribution of Zoned Urban Plots by Region
Table 5.2.1 provides information on the distribution of urban plots by region. The total number of
urban plots examined as indicated earlier is 192,261 covering an area of 71,686.8 hectares of land.
Erongo has more urban plots at 51,570 followed by Oshana region at 44,768 plots. Kavango West and
Kunene have the least urban plots compared to the other 7 regions.
Table 5.2.1: Number of zoned urban plots by Region
Region Number of Urban Zoned Plots
Urban Zoned
Plots (%)
Erongo 51570 26.8
Kavango East 26158 13.6
Kavango West 6281 3.3
Kunene 6662 3.5
Ohangwena 15627 8.1
Omusati 17153 8.9
Oshana 44768 23.3
Oshikoto 12407 6.5
Zambezi 11635 6.1
Total 192261 100.0
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**Note: Number of plots exclude those which are still in the process of formalisation.
In terms of the percentage townland sizes and urban plots, Erongo has more urban plots at 26.8%
among the 9 assessed regions. This is followed by Oshana region at 23.3% while Kavango West Region
has the least number of urban plots at 3.3% (Figure 5.2.1).
Figure 5.2.1: Percentage of Urban Zoned Plots by Region
5.3 Comparison of Total Urban Plots to Residential Plots by Region
This section provides a comparison between urban plots and urban plots that are assigned for
residential purpose as summarised in Table 5.3.1. From the total number of urban plots within each
region, Kunene has more residential plots on its zoning scheme at 6,094 plots out of a total of 6,662
plots within the region. Regionally, Erongo has more plots including those that are zoned residential
among the 9 regions. This is followed by Oshana region which has 44,768 plots of which 38,843 are
zoned residential.
Table 5.3.1 Comparison of Residential Zoned Plots to total Urban Zoned Plots by Region
Region Total Urban
Plots
Number of
Residential Plots
Urban Residential
Plots (%)
Erongo 51570 42758 89.3
Kavango East 26158 23052 88.1
Kavango West 6281 5101 81.2
Kunene 6662 6094 91.5
Ohangwena 15627 10907 69.8
Omusati 17153 13781 80.3
Oshana 44768 38843 86.8
Oshikoto 12407 10590 85.4
Zambezi 11635 10635 91.4
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Total 192261 164360 85.5
Note that number of plots excludes those which are still in the process of formalisation. Part of
Ondangwa in Oshana Region seems to have been displaced into Oshikoto Region along the townland
boundary line with Oniipa. The plots covering this part were allocated to Ondangwa. The data layer
gap is demonstrated in Figure 5.3.1 below. The data gap expresses data quality issues relating to
topology of the townland boundary data layers from stakeholders that need to be resolved.
Figure 5.3.1 Observed GIS data gap between Ondangwa and Oniipa in Oshana and Oshikoto Regions
Figure 5.3.2 below shows the percentage distribution of residential plots in graphic form by region.
Only Ohangwena region has less than 80% of its plots zoned for residential use. As indicated earlier,
Kunene has more residential plots on its zoning scheme at 91.5% followed by Zambezi and Erongo at
91.4% and 89.3% respectively. Ohangwena has more plots for other land uses apart from residential
use.
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Figure 5.3.2 Percentage distribution of Urban Residential Plots by Region
6. REGIONAL URBAN LAND USE STATISTICS
The following sections provides regional summaries for each of the 9 evaluated regions. The
comparison is made at urban locality level within each region. It must be stated here again that the
zoning data is based on the digital GIS data within the NSDI. There are a number of urban localities
which have demarcated plots which are not fully serviced in terms of electricity, roads, water and
sewer connection and are still in the approval process but have included them on their zoning
schemes. Some of these plots might have been already offered to beneficiaries. These plots are as
much as possible not included in this publication since the purpose is to authoritatively start a dialog
among Local Authorities on the quality of digital data contained in their zoning schemes.
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6.1 Erongo Region
This subsection provides summaries of the status of urban land in Erongo Region. Arandis, Henties
Bay, Karibib, Omaruru, Swakopmund, Usakos and Walvis Bay are the urban localities in the Region
covering a total townland size of 183793.4 hectares.
Table 6.1.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use zoning status in Erongo Region
Urban
Locality Name
Townland
Size (Ha)
Townland
(%)
Size of Zoned
Land (Ha)
Zoned Urban Land
(%)
Unzoned
Urban Land (%)
Arandis 3061.5 1.7 947.5 30.9 69.1
Henties Bay 12340.3 6.7 725.2 5.9 94.1
Karibib 11458.3 6.2 1611.5 14.1 85.9
Omaruru 20332.8 11.1 19990.5 98.3 1.7
Swakopmund 19322.3 10.5 5842.2 30.2 69.8
Usakos 6122.0 3.3 482.4 7.9 92.1
Walvis Bay 111156.2 60.5 15545.3 14.0 86.0
Erongo 183793.4 100.0 45144.6 24.6 75.4
Table 6.1.1 shows that the Municipality of Walvis Bay is the largest urban locality in the Region in
terms of size as it makes up 60.5% of urban land in the Region at 111,156.2 hectares. Omaruru and
Swakopmund each contributes 11.1% at 20,332.8 and 19,322.3 he8ctares. Arandis and Usakos are the
smallest urban localities in the region. This is further elaborated in Figure 6.1.1 below.
Figure 6.1.1 Percentage of Townland Size by urban Locality in Erongo Region
In terms of zoning, Henties Bay and Usakos are the least zoned urban locality at only 5.9% and 7.9%
respectively. Regionally, zoned urban land is at only 24.6%. Figure 6.1.2 below shows a graphic
representation of the percentage comparisons of land zoning status by locality name in the region.
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Figure 6.1.2: Percentage comparison of townland by land use zoning status in Erongo Region
The distribution of urban plots in Erongo is provided in Table 6.1.2. The Table shows the distribution
of urban plots in Erongo by type and urban locality. The region has a total of 51,570 urban plots
situated in the 7 urban localities. The majority of the plots are used for residential purposes totalling
45,357 followed by business at 3,101. Only Walvis Bay does not have plots assigned for urban
agriculture while Swakopmund host the majority of them at 166.
Table 6.1.2 Number of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality and Zoning Status in Erongo
Urban Locality Name Business Institutional Open Space Residential Street Urban
Agriculture
Erongo
Arandis 403 147 91 2987 5 26 3659
Henties Bay 252 309 74 4672 9 12 5328
Karibib 201 121 70 2584 44 45 3065
Omaruru 239 135 90 4377 62 10 4913
Swakopmund 749 374 252 16042 23 166 17606
Usakos 76 96 15 1062 32 13 1294
Walvis Bay 1181 636 134 13649 105 0 15705
Erongo 3101 1818 726 45357 280 272 51570
Table 6.1.3 shows the percentage distribution of zoned urban plots based on Table 6.1.2 above.
Swakopmund has the highest number of residential plots at 35.4% followed by Walvis Bay at 30.1%
while Usakos and Karibib have less residential plots at 2.3% and 5.7% respectively. The majority of
business zoned urban plots are situated in Walvis Bay at 38.1% followed by Swakopmund at 24.2%.
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Table 6.1.3: Percentage distribution of urban zoned plots by urban locality in Erongo Region
Urban Locality
Name
Business
(%)
Institutional
(%)
Open
Space (%)
Residential
(%)
Street
(%)
Urban
Agriculture (%)
Erongo
(%)
Arandis 13.0 8.1 12.5 6.6 1.7 9.6 7.1
Henties Bay 8.1 17.0 10.2 10.3 3.0 4.4 10.3
Karibib 6.5 6.7 9.6 5.7 14.9 16.5 5.9
Omaruru 7.7 7.4 12.4 9.7 20.9 3.7 9.5
Swakopmund 24.2 20.6 34.7 35.4 7.8 61.0 34.1
Usakos 2.5 5.3 2.1 2.3 10.8 4.8 2.5
Walvis Bay 38.1 35.0 18.5 30.1 40.9 0.0 30.5
Table 6.3 shows the distribution of urban plots in Erongo by land use or zoning type. Swakopmund has
more residential plots in the region contributing 35.4% of the regional total, followed by Walvis Bay
at 30.1%. Usakos has smallest number of residential plots, only accounting for 2.3%. Karibib, Arandis,
Omaruru and Henties Bay are fairly of the same size in terms of residential plots ranging from 5.7% to
10.3% (Figure 6.3).
Figure 6.1.3: Percentage distribution of Residential Plots by urban locality in Erongo Region
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6.2 Kavango East Region
This subsection provides summaries of urban land in Kavango East Region. Rundu and Divundu are the
only two urban localities in the Region.
Table 6.2.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use status in Kavango East
Urban Locality
Name
Townland
Size (Ha)
Townland
Size (%)
Size of Zoned
Urban Land (Ha)
Zoned Urban
Land (%)
Not zoned
Land
Divundu 1951.5 11.2 1893.4 97.0 3.0
Rundu 15499 88.8 2357.2 15.2 84.8
Regional 17450.5 100 4250.6 24.4 75.6
Table 6.2.1 shows that Rundu contributes 88.8% of urban land in the region at 15,499.0 hectares
compared to Divundu at only 1,951.5 hectares or 11.1%. This is also shown in Figure 6.4 below. Zoned
urban land in the region only accounts for 24.4% compared to un-zoned land of 75.6%. Divundu has
almost its land zoned at 97.0% compared to Rundu which is at 15.2%. The percentage comparisons of
townland sizes is shown in Figure 6.2.1.
Figure 6.2.1 Percentage of Townland Size by urban Locality in Kavango East Region
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Table 6.2.2 Number of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality in Kavango East Region
Urban Locality
Name
Business Institutional Open
Space
Residential Street Urban
Agriculture
Regional
Divundu 163 39 40 759 0 0 1001
Rundu 1791 435 553 22293 55 30 25157
Regional 1954 474 593 23052 55 30 26158
Table 6.2.3 Number of Zoned Plots by Urban Locality and Zoning Status in Kavango East Region
Urban
Locality Name
Business
(%)
Institutional
(%)
Open
Space (%)
Residential
(%)
Street
(%)
Urban
Agriculture (%)
Regional
(%)
Divundu 8.3 8.2 6.7 3.3 0.0 0.0 3.8
Rundu 91.7 91.8 93.3 96.7 100.0 100.0 96.2
Figure 6.2.2: Percentage distribution of zoned plots by urban locality and land use in Kavango East
Region
Table 6.2.2 shows the distribution of urban plots in Kavango East by type and urban locality while
Table 6.2.3 shows the percentage distribution of the same plots. The region has a total of 26,158 urban
plots with Rundu holding 96.2% of them. The majority of the plots are used for residential purposes
totalling 23,052 followed by business at 1,954. At regional level, urban agriculture is allocated 30 plots,
and all plots are located in Rundu. No land is allocated for street in Divundu as compared to Rundu.
The percentage distribution is further elaborated in Figure 6.2.2 above.
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6.3 Kavango West Region
This subsection provides summaries of urban land in Kavango West Region. Nkurenkuru is the only
urban locality in the Region and has all the 7 land zoning classes of business, institutional, natural
reserve, open space, residential, street and urban agriculture.
Table 6.3.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use status in Kavango West
Urban
Locality Name
Townland
Size(Ha)
Townland
Size (%)
Size of Zoned
Land (Ha)
Urban Zoned
Land (%)
Urban Un-zoned
Land (%)
Nkurenkuru 4912.2 100.0 1662.9 33.9 66.1
Regional 4912.2 100.0 166.9 33.9 66.1
Table 6.3.1 shows that Nkurenkuru contributes 100% of all urban land in the region at 4912.2 hectares
as it is the only local authority. The town has only utilised 33.9% or 1662.9 hectares of its townland
boundary.
Table 6.3.2 Number of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality and Zoning Status in Kavango West
Zoning Class Nkurenkuru Kavango West
Business 644 644
Institutional 222 222
Nature Reserve 1 1
Open Space 264 264
Residential 5101 5101
Street 6 6
Urban Agriculture 43 43
Kavango West 6281 6281
Table 6.3.2 shows the distribution of urban plots in Kavango West by type and urban locality. The
region has a total of 6,281 urban plots. The majority of the plots are used for residential purposes
totalling 5,101 followed by business at 644. Nkurenkuru has 43 plots assigned for urban agriculture.
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6.4 Kunene Region
This subsection provides summaries of urban land in Kunene Region. Kamanjab, Khorixas, Opuwo and
Outjo are the four urban localities in the Region covering a combined land of 43,395.2 hectares. The
region has 6,662 urban plots.
Table 6.4.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use status in Kunene
Urban
Locality Name
Townland
Size(Ha)
Townland
Size (%)
Size of Zoned
Land (Ha)
Urban Zoned
Land (%)
Urban Un-zoned
Land (%)
Kamanjab 982.4 2.3 118.7 1.7 98.3
Khorixas 12180.6 28.1 301.5 1.3 98.7
Opuwo 6829.4 15.7 286.7 29.2 70.8
Outjo 23402.8 53.9 313.5 2.6 97.4
Regional 43395.2 100 1020.4 2.3 97.7
Table 6.4.1 shows that Outjo is the biggest urban locality in terms of size and contributes 53.9% of
urban land in the Region at 23,402.8 hectares. This is followed by Khorixas at 28.1% or 12,180.6
hectares while Kamanjab is the smallest in size at 982.4 hectares or 2.3%. Figure 6.4.1 shows the
percentage size of each urban locality in graphical form.
Figure 6.4.1 Percentage of Townland by urban Locality in Kunene Region
In spite of Outjo being the largest urban locality in the region, Opuwo is the most utilised urban locality
having 29.2% of its urban land already zoned. Outjo has the least zoned land at 1.3% compared to the
size of its townland followed by Kamanjab and Khorixas at 1.7% and 2.6% respectively. In total, Kunene
has 97.7% un-zoned urban land (Figure 6.4.2).
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Figure 6.4.2: Percentage distribution land by urban locality and zoning status in Kunene Region
Table 6.4.2 Number of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality and Zoning Status in Kunene
Urban Locality
Name
Business Institutional Open Space Residential Street Kunene
Kamanjab 50 31 25 1094 0 1200
Khorixas 0 33 14 1958 0 2005
Opuwo 45 64 12 1078 0 1199
Outjo 158 79 49 1964 8 2258
Kunene 253 207 100 6094 8 6662
Table 6.4.2 shows the distribution of urban plots in Kunene by type and urban locality. The region has
a total of 6,662 urban plots. As expected, the majority of the plots are used for residential purposes
totalling 6,094 followed by business use at 253. None of the urban localities have plots for urban
agriculture and only 8 plots in Outjo are classified as streets. Surprisingly, the zoning information
shows that Khorixas does not have business plots on the collected GIS data. This could be linked to
data quality issues or misclassification of plots on the zoning layer.
Table 6.4.3 Percentage distribution of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality in Kunene Region
Urban Locality
Name
Business
(%)
Institutional
(%)
Open Space
(%)
Residential
(%)
Street
(%)
Kunene
(%)
Kamanjab 19.8 15.0 25.0 18.0 0.0 18.0
Khorixas 0.0 15.9 14.0 32.1 0.0 30.1
Opuwo 17.8 30.9 12.0 17.7 0.0 18.0
Outjo 62.5 38.2 49.0 32.2 100.0 33.9
Table 6.4.3 and Figure 6.4.3 all show the percentage distribution of urban zoned plots by zoning type
and locality name. The majority of urban zoned plots are found in Outjo and Khorixas at 32.2% and
32.1% while Opuwo has the lowest number at 17.7%. Surprisingly, Khorixas has no business plots on
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its zoning scheme. This could be attributed to classification error in the zoning data therefore requires
careful examination by the town council.
Figure 6.4.3: Percentage distribution land by urban locality and zoning status in Kunene Region
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6.5 Ohangwena Region
This subsection provides summaries of urban land as well as mapped urban households in Ohangwena
Region. Eenhana, Helao Nafidi, and Okongo are the three urban localities in the Region covering a
total townland size of 13,056.4 hectares.
Table 6.5.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use zoning status in Ohangwena Region
Urban
Locality Name
Townland
Size (Ha)
Townland
Size (%)
Size of Urban
Zoned Land
(Ha)
Urban Zoned
Land (%)
Unzoned Urban
Land (%)
Eenhana 5205.4 39.9 1428.8 27.4 72.6
Helao Nafidi 7221.2 55.3 1101.4 15.3 84.7
Okongo 629.8 4.8 323.3 51.3 48.7
Ohangwena 13056.4 100.0 2853.5 21.9 78.1
Table 6.5.1 and Figure 6.5.1 show that Helao Nafidi is the biggest urban locality in terms of size and
contributes 55.3% of urban land in the Region at 7,221.2 hectares. This is followed by Eenhana at
39.9% or 5,205.4 hectares while Okongo is the smallest in size at 629.8 hectares or 4.8%.
Figure 6.5.1 Percentage of Townland by urban Locality in Ohangwena Region
In terms of zoning, Okongo has predefined land uses for most of its land having 51.3% of its urban land
already zoned followed by Eenhana at 27.4%. Regionally, only 21.9% of urban land is classified (Figure
6.5.2).
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Figure 6.5.2: Percentage distribution land by urban locality and zoning status in Ohangwena Region
Table 6.5.2 Number of Zoned Plots by Urban Locality and Zoning Status in Ohangwena Region
Urban
Locality
Business Institutional Open
Space
Residential Urban
Agriculture
Regional
Eenhana 582 135 254 9507 14 10492
Helao Nafidi 124 3232 0 209 0 3565
Okongo 294 57 28 1191 0 1570
Regional 1000 3424 282 10907 14 15627
Table 6.5.2 shows the distribution of urban plots in Ohangwena by type and urban locality. The region
has a total of 15,627 urban plots. As in the case with other regions, the majority of the plots are used
for residential purposes amounting to 10,907. The region more institutionally zoned plots at 3,424
compared to business plots at 1,000. Only 14 plots are zoned urban agriculture and all are situated in
Eehnana.
Table 6.5.3 Percentage distribution of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality in Ohangwena Region
Urban Locality
Name Business Institutional
Open
Space Residential
Urban
Agriculture Regional
Eenhana 58.2 3.9 90.1 87.2 100.0 67.1
Helao Nafidi 12.4 94.4 0.0 1.9 0.0 22.8
Okongo 29.4 1.7 9.9 10.9 0.0 10.0
Table 6.5.3 and Figure 6.5.3 provide percentage distribution of the plots by zoning type and urban
locality. Helao Nafidi hosts 94.4% of all the institutional plots in Ohangwena Region while Eehnana has
most of the residential, open space and business plots. Regionally too, Eenhana has more plots
followed by Helao Nafidi. Helao Nafidi has very few residential zoned plots compared to Okongo.
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Figure 6.5.3: Percentage distribution Plots by urban locality and zoning status in Ohangwena Region
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6.6 Omusati Region
This subsection provides summaries of urban land as well as mapped urban households in Omusati
Region. Okahao, Oshikuku, Outapi, Ruacana and Tsandi are the urban localities in the Region covering
a total townland size of 13,750.7 hectares.
Table 6.6.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use status in Omusati Region
Urban Locality
Name
Townland Size
(Ha)
Townland
Size (%)
Size of Urban
Zoned Land (Ha)
Urban Zoned
Land (%)
Unzoned Urban
Land (%)
Okahao 4426.5 32.2 700.1 15.8 84.2
Oshikuku 792.5 5.8 356.8 45.0 55.0
Outapi 2908.2 21.1 1577.6 54.2 45.8
Ruacana 4921.0 35.8 298.1 6.1 93.9
Tsandi 702.6 5.1 191.1 27.2 72.8
Regional 13750.7 100.0 3123.7 22.7 77.3
Table 6.6.1 and Figure 6.6.1 show that Ruacana is the biggest urban locality in terms of size as it
contributes 4,921.0 hectares or 35.8% of total urban land in the Region. This is followed by Okahao at
32.2% or 4,426.5 hectares while Tsandi is the smallest in size at 702.6 hectares or 5.1%.
Figure 6.6.1 Percentage of Townland Size by Urban Locality in Omusati Region
In terms of zoning, Figure 6.6.2 below shows that Outapi has zoned most of its land compared to other
urban localities having 54.2% of its urban land zoned, followed by Okahao at 45.0%. Regionally, only
22.7% of urban land is zoned or have determined land uses.
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Figure 6.6.2: Figure 6.6.3 Percentage distribution of land by urban locality and zoning status in
Oshana Region
Table 6.6.2 Number of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality and Zoning Status in Omusati Region
Urban
Locality
Business Institutional Open
Space
Residential Street Urban
Agriculture
Regional
Okahao 449 99 188 3925 0 15 4676
Oshikuku 361 73 55 2211 2 0 2702
Outapi 842 162 254 5848 0 51 7157
Ruacana 329 39 36 1119 0 0 1523
Tsandi 322 44 42 678 9 0 1095
Regional 2303 417 575 13781 11 66 17153
Table 6.6.2 shows the distribution of urban plots in Omusati by type and urban locality. The region has
a total of 17,153 urban plots. As expected, the majority of the plots are used for residential purposes
totalling 13,781 followed by business use at 2,303. Only Okahao and Outapi have plots for urban
agriculture.
Table 6.6.3 Percentage distribution of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality in Omusati Region
Urban
Locality
Name
Business
(%)
Institutional
(%)
Open
Space (%)
Residential
(%)
Street
(%)
Urban
Agriculture (%)
Regional
(%)
Okahao 19.5 23.7 32.7 28.5 0.0 22.7 27.3
Oshikuku 15.7 17.5 9.6 16.0 18.2 0.0 15.8
Outapi 36.6 38.8 44.2 42.4 0.0 77.3 41.7
Ruacana 14.3 9.4 6.3 8.1 0.0 0.0 8.9
Tsandi 14.0 10.6 7.3 4.9 81.8 0.0 6.4
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Table 6.6.3 and Figure 6.6.4 both shows the percentage distribution of urban zoned plots by urban
locality and land use zone in Omusati Region. Apart from the common zoning classes, only Tsandi and
Oshikuku have zoned land for street use at 81.8% and 18.2% respectively. Outapi has more plots at
41.7% followed by Okahao at 27.3%. The same pattern is true for residential plots and on almost all
other zoning classes.
Figure 6.6.4: Percentage distribution land by urban locality and zoning status in Omusati Region
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6.7 Oshana Region
This subsection provides summaries of urban land and land use zoning classes in Oshana Region.
Ondangwa, Ongwediva and Oshakati are the three urban localities in the Region covering a total
townland size of 19,952.9 hectares.
Table 6.7.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use status in Oshana
Urban
Locality
Name
Townland
Size (Ha)
Townland
Size (%)
Size of Zoned
Land (Ha)
Urban Zoned
Land (%)
Unzoned Urban
Land (%)
Ondangwa 5322.3 26.7 4469.6 84.0 16.0
Ongwediva 8929.7 44.8 1770.2 19.8 80.2
Oshakati 5700.9 28.6 2955.6 51.8 48.2
Regional 19952.9 100.0 9195.4 46.1 53.9
Table 6.7.1 shows that Ongwediva is the biggest urban locality in terms of size and contributes 44.8%
of urban land at 8,929.7 hectares. Oshakati and Ondangwa are almost equal in size at 28.6% and 26.7%
respectively. A graphic representation of the townland sizes is shown in Figure 6.7.1 below.
Figure 6.7.1 Percentage size of Townland by Urban Locality in Oshana Region
In terms of zoning, Ondangwa has the highest serviced area at 84% of its townland already zoned.
Ongwediva is the least zoned town among the three. Regionally, 46.1% of urban land is classified
(Figure 6.7.2). It was observed on the GIS data of Oshana Region that Oshakati has 15.1 hectares of
unknown zoning land which could also be attributed to misclassification. The same was observed on
Ongwediva townland where 13.9 hectares are classified as unknown.
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Figure 6.7.2 Percentage distribution of land by urban locality and zoning status in Oshana Region
Table 6.7.2 Number of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality and Zoning Status in Oshana Region
Urban
Locality Name
Business Institutional Nature
Reserve
Open
Space
Resident
ial
Street Urban
Agriculture
Oshana
Ondangwa 1945 286 0 533 14762 2 50 17578
Ongwediva 1051 124 0 284 7595 10 0 9064
Oshakati 1065 292 21 254 16486 8 0 18126
Oshana 4061 702 21 1071 38843 20 50 44768
Table 6.7.2 shows the distribution of urban plots in Oshana by type and urban locality. The region has
a total of 44,768 urban plots in the NSDI digital database. As typical, the majority of the plots are used
for residential purposes totalling 38,843 followed by business at 4,061. Only Ondangwa has plots for
urban agriculture. The percentage distribution of plots by urban locality is shown in Table 6.7.3.
Table 6.7.3 Percentage of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Localities of Oshana Region
Urban
Locality
Name
Business
(%)
Institutional
(%)
Nature
Reserve
(%)
Open
Space
(%)
Residential
(%)
Street
(%)
Urban
Agriculture (%)
Oshana
(%)
Ondangwa 47.9 40.7 0.0 49.8 38.0 10.0 100.0 39.3
Ongwediva 25.9 17.7 0.0 26.5 19.6 50.0 0.0 20.2
Oshakati 26.2 41.6 100.0 23.7 42.4 40.0 0.0 40.5
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Figure 6.7.3 Percentage distribution of Zoned Plots by Urban Locality in Oshana Region
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6.8 Oshikoto Region
This subsection provides summaries of the status of urban land in Oshikoto Region. Omuthiya, Oniipa
and Tsumeb are the three urban localities in the Region covering a combined townland size of 68,338.7
hectares. Only 2251.8 hectares of the urban land in the region is zoned.
Table 6.8.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use status in Oshikoto Region
Urban Locality
Name
Townland Size
(Ha)
Townland
(%)
Size of Zoned
Land (Ha)
Zoned urban
Land (%)
Unzoned Urban
Land (%)
Omuthiya 12599.5 18.4 584.6 4.6 95.4
Oniipa 2720.3 4.0 1179.2 43.3 56.7
Tsumeb 53018.9 77.6 488 0.9 99.1
Oshikoto 68338.7 100.0 2251.8 3.3 96.7
Table 6.8.1 shows that Tsumeb is the biggest urban locality in terms of size as it accounts for 77.6% of
urban land in the Region at 53,018.9 hectares. This is followed by Omuthiya at 18.4% while Oniipa is
only 4.0% of the urban land. The townland size percentages are shown in Figure 6.8.1.
Figure 6.8.1 Percentage size of Townland by Urban Locality in Oshikoto Region
In terms of percentage zoning, Oniipa has the highest serviced land of 43.3% of its townland already
zoned. Tsumeb is the least zoned town among the three at only 0.9%. Regionally, only a mere 3.3% of
urban land is classified, the bulk of it is located in Oniipa. Figure 6.8.2 shows the percentage size of
each urban locality in Oshikoto Region.
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Figure 6.8.2 Percentage distribution of land by urban locality and zoning status in Oshikoto Region
Table 6.8.2 Number of Urban Zoned Plots by Zoning Status and Locality in Oshikoto Region
Urban Locality
Name
Business Institutional Open
Space
Residential Street Urban
Agriculture
Oshikoto
Omuthiya 480 117 153 2150 2 3 2905
Oniipa 463 85 171 5719 1 0 6439
Tsumeb 285 58 25 2695 0 0 3063
Oshikoto 1228 260 349 10564 3 3 12407
Table 6.8.2 shows the distribution of urban zoned plots in Oshikoto by type and urban locality. It was
observed that 82 residential plots belonging to Ondangwa in Oshana Region were misclassified as part
of Oniipa in Oshikoto Region. This was rectified based on the spatial location of the plots and correctly
assigned to Oshana Region.
Oshikoto therefore recorded a total of 12,407 urban plots. As it is typical, the majority of the plots are
used for residential purposes totalling 10,564 followed by business use at 1,228 plots. Only Omuthiya
has plots for urban agriculture in its zoning classes.
Table 6.8.3 Percentage distribution of Urban Zoned Plots in Urban Localities of Oshikoto Region
Urban Locality
Name
Business
(%)
Institutional
(%)
Open
Space (%)
Residential
(%)
Street
(%)
Urban
Agriculture (%)
Oshikoto
(%)
Omuthiya 39.1 45.0 43.8 20.4 66.7 100.0 23.4
Oniipa 37.7 32.7 49.0 54.1 33.3 0.0 51.9
Tsumeb 23.2 22.3 7.2 25.5 0.0 0.0 24.7
Oshikoto 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
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Figure 6.8.3 Percentage distribution of Zoned Plots by Urban Locality in Oshikoto Region
Table 6.8.3 and Figure 6.8.3 show the percentage distribution of each zoning class by urban locality in
Oshikoto Region. Only Omuthiya has a land use for urban agriculture in the region while Oniipa has
51.9% of the regions urban plots. Oniipa also has the most open spaces at 49.0% followed by
Omuthiya at 43.8% respectively. In terms of business plots, Omuthiya and Oniipa have more plots at
39.1% and 37.7% than Tsumeb. Regionally, Oniipa has more zoned urban land in the region at 51.9%
followed by Tsumeb at 24.7%.
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6.9 Zambezi Region
This subsection provides summaries of urban land as well as mapped urban households in Zambezi
Region. Bukalo and Katima Mulilo are only urban localities in the Region covering a total townland size
of 5,902.8 hectares.
Table 6.9.1 Size and percentage of townland by land use status in Zambezi
Urban Locality
Name
Townland
Size (Ha)
Townland
(%)
Size of Zoned
Land (Ha)
Urban Zoned
Land (%)
Un-zoned
Land (%)
Bukalo 860.8 14.6 114.5 13.3 86.7
Katima Mulilo 5042.0 85.4 2109.0 41.8 58.2
Zambezi 5902.8 100 2223.5 37.7 62.3
Table 6.9.1 and Figure 6.9.1 shows that Katima Mulilo is the biggest urban locality in terms of size as
it contributes 85.4% of urban land in the Region at 5,042.0 hectares. Bukalo is only 14.6 of the urban
land.
Figure 6.9.1 Percentage size of Townland by Urban Locality in Zambezi Region
Only 13.3% of Bukalo is classified while Katima Mulilo is at 41.8%. Regionally serviced urban land is at
37.7%. This is graphically shown in Figure 6.9.2.
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Figure 6.9.2 Percentage distribution of land by urban locality and zoning status in Oshana Region
Table 6.9.2 Number of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality and Zoning Status in Zambezi Region
Urban
Locality
Business Institutional Open
Space
Residential Street Urban
Agriculture
Zambezi
Bukalo 46 11 3 430 0 0 490
Katima Mulilo 579 183 166 10205 11 1 11145
Zambezi 625 194 169 10635 11 1 11635
Table 6.9.2 shows the distribution of urban plots in Zambezi by type and urban locality. The region has
a total of 11,635 urban plots. The majority of the plots are used for residential purposes totalling
10,635 followed by business at 625. Katima has 166 open spaces on its zoning scheme while Bukalo
has only 3.
Table 6.9.3 Percentage distribution of Urban Zoned Plots in Urban Localities of Zambezi Region
Urban
Locality
Name
Business
(%)
Institutional
(%)
Open
Space (%)
Residential
(%)
Street
(%)
Urban
Agriculture (%)
Zambezi
(%)
Bukalo 7.4 5.7 1.8 4.0 0.0 0.0 4.2
Katima
Mulilo 92.6 94.3 98.2 96.0 100.0 100.0 95.8
Table 6.9.3 and Figure 6.9.3 shows the percentage distribution of zoning classes by urban locality in
the Region. Katima Mulilo has the highest number of plots accounting for 95.8%. The town has 1 plot
zoned as urban agriculture while Bukalo has not urban agriculture class on its zoning scheme.
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Figure 6.9.3 Presentation distribution of Urban Zoned Plots by Urban Locality in Zambezi Region
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7. GENERAL SUMMARIES
7.1 Size of Urban Localities in the 9 assessed Regions
Walvis Bay is the largest urban locality in extent among the 30 evaluated urban localities. The
municipality covers 111,156 hectares. This is followed by Tsumeb, Outjo, Omaruru and Swakopmund.
Okongo is the smallest urban localities among the evaluated localities with an estimated townland
boundary of 629.8 hectares.
Figure 7.1.1 Size of urban localities in hectares
7.2 Percentage size of Zoned Townland by Urban Locality
Based on the land use zoning schemes, Omaruru, Divundu and Ondangwa are the top three most
zoned urban localities having more than three quarters of their land already zoned (Figure 7:2.1). This
means that nearly every piece of land within their townland boundaries have a predefined land use.
This is also providing a hint on the status of land servicing as it can be an indirect pointer for more
serviced land in those localities. However, a closer assessment of Omaruru shows that the biggest part
of the zoned land is used for urban agriculture.
Figure 7.2.1 Percentage of zoned townland by urban locality
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Tsumeb and Khorixas are the least planned or zoned urban localities having less than 1.5% of their
townlands zoned. They are followed by Kamanjab at 1.7%, Outjo at 2.6% and Omuthiya at 4.6%
respectively.
7.3 Total Number of Zoned Plots by Urban Locality (All Land Uses)
The number of zoned plots by urban locality is an indirect indication of the level of development of
the local authorities. Figure 7.3.1 shows the distribution of plots arranged in descending order. Rundu
has more urban plots in the 9 regions followed by Oshakati while Bukalo has the lowest number of
plots at 490 only. Okongo has more urban plots among village councils.
Figure 7.3.1 Number of Urban Plots (all land uses) by Urban Locality
7.4 Total Number of Residential-Zoned Plots by Urban Locality
In terms of the number of residential plots by urban locality, Figure 7.4.1 shows that Rundu in Kavango
East Region has the highest number at 22,293 residential plots followed by Oshakati at 16,486 plots.
Helao Nafidi Town Council has the smallest number of residential plots at 209 plots followed by Bukalo
Village Council.
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Figure 7.4.1 Number of Urban Residential Plots by Urban Locality
Khorixas has the highest percentage of residential plots to total urban plots at 97.7% followed by
Katima Mulilo at 91.6%. Helao Nafidi has only 5.9% of plots designated for residential purposes (Figure
7.4.2).
Figure 7.4.2 Percentage of Residential Plots to Total Urban Plots by Urban Locality
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8. CONCLUSION
In this publication, a total urban land size of 370,452.9 hectares was evaluated consisting of
municipalities, towns and villages in Erongo, Kavango East, Kavango West, Kunene, Ohangwena,
Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto and Zambezi. The evaluated urban land is a sum of townland boundaries
of 30 Local Authorities in the 9 regions. It was found that 71686.8 hectares of urban land making up
192,261 plots was already allocated different land uses based on the different land use zoning
schemes in the evaluated Local Authorities. It was observed that Local Authorities use different land
use zoning schemes making which makes it difficult to compare land allocation and use among them.
Therefore standardised land use zoning classes were necessary for this exercise to reclassify land into
their common land classes for statistical purposes.
In exception of a few, most of the Local Authorities do not have GIS to effectively manage their urban
land and infrastructure digitally. Land is viewed from PDFs and hardcopy maps which are static in
terms of content. Land information is not enriched as it should be, thus becomes difficult to perform
timely analysis or computations. Apart from a few Local Authorities, not much zeal could be observed
for a digital transformation drive and little awareness of the benefits of the NSDI government initiative
especially at management level.
Furthermore, not much capacity in terms of human and ICT infrastructure is available in most Local
Authorities. Some Local Authorities do not have sufficient computers to digitally transform their land
records. This has caused most of them to depend on town planners to keep their land use zoning
records.
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9. RECOMMENDATIONS
9.1 Validation of the Urban Land Statistics Bulletin
This publication is generated to stimulate interest and debate among Local Authorities with regard to
sound management of their digital land records. The goal is to develop quality baselines for urban land
statistics in all urban localities of Namibia for future comparison and management while working
towards digital transformation of the urban space. This is conducted within the context of the NSDI
which is a national technical and institutional framework facilitating the capture, management,
maintenance, integration, distribution and use of spatial data (See Statistics Act, Section 47 to 49). It
is therefore recommended that Local Authorities must validate this bulletin based on the most recent
statistics in their holding.
9.2 Effective Land Management at Local Authority Level
It is recommended that Local Authorities must urgently work towards digital transformation by setting
up their Local Spatial Data Infrastructures (LSDI) to effectively manage their land and development
infrastructure. The NSA as a coordinator of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) is accessible
to render its advisory service on this work.
9.3 Capacity Building at Local Authority Level
It is recommended that Local Authorities prioritise building capacity of their housing and town
planning personnel. The capacity should include information technology infrastructure to enable
digital transformation.
9.4 Standardising Zoning Schemes at Local Authority Level for National Statistical
Reporting and Comparability
It was observed that Local Authorities have different zoning schemes with different classifications and
naming conversions. While this is necessary because of the uniqueness of each Local Authority, there
is a need for a common set of zoning classes in the zoning data to ensure comparability and uniform
reporting across the country. It is therefore recommended for the Ministry of Urban and Rural
Development to facilitate the development and gazetting of standard zoning classes while maintaining
the current Local Authority-specific zoning classes.
---End---
Preliminary