Namibia Housing Action
Group (NHAG)
AND
Shack Dwellers Federation
of Namibia (SDFN)
A
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Publisher
Namibia Housing Action Group (NHAG)
11 Mozart Street, Windhoek West, Windhoek
The consent of the publisher must be obtained for any further use
and duplication.
Pictures
© NHAG/SDFN
Author
Anne Scharrenbroich and Hendrina Shuunyuni
Layout and Design
Nanewo Creative Studio
This publication has been funded by GIZ
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N
am
ibia H
ousing Action G
roup (N
H
A
G
) and Shack D
w
ellers Federation of N
am
ibia (SD
FN
)
A
nnual Report July 2018 June 2019
Acknowledgement
Introduction
About SDFN & NHAG
Historical Timeline
Community Savings
Women Empowerment
Table - National Saving Report of June 2018
Table - National Saving Report of June 2019
Twahangana Fund
Table - Twahangana Fund since 1995
Government Support through the Twahangana Fund
Table - Total Income to support Loans
Table - Loans approved by Twahangana
Poor Peoples Fund strengthened
Community Land Information Program (CLIP) / Know Your City Campaign
House construction & Informal Settlement Upgrading
House Constructions
Houses built by SDFN Members
Table - House Constructions
Upgrading Informal Settlements
Cost-Efficiency of Informal Settlement Upgrading
Table - Ongoing Informal Settlement Upgrading
Securing Land
Land Allocation in the City of Windhoek
Table - Land Allocation
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TAble of ConTenT
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N
am
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H
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A
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G
ro
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(N
H
A
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) a
nd
S
ha
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D
w
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rs
F
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at
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of
N
am
ib
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(S
D
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)
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Namibian Youth
SDFN Youth in Khomas Region
Clean Cooking Competition
SDIs Energy Justice Program
The Cooking Competition
Cooperation with National Public Sector
Government of the Republic of Namibia
Collaboration with Regional and Local Authorities
Exchanges, Sharing, Learning by Doing
House Opening Events
Ongoing Local Exchange and Networking Events
Selection of Events
2nd National Land Conference
Urban Forum in Namibia
Coordination of Informal Settlement Upgrading through a National Alliance
Namibia and Zambia Exchange
SDI Southern African HUB meetings
Africities Summit
SDI Management Meetings
UN Assembly in Nairobi
Managing NHAG
NHAG Board
Table - NHAG Income
Table - NHAG Expenses for Core Activities
Ongoing Challenges
6
N
am
ibia H
ousing Action G
roup (N
H
A
G
) and Shack D
w
ellers Federation of N
am
ibia (SD
FN
)
A
nnual Report July 2018 June 2019
Acknowledgement
A word of appreciation goes to the First Lady of the Republic of
Namibia, Madame Monica Geingos for her guidance and support
to the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia. The activities
of Namibia Housing Action Group (NHAG) and Shack Dwellers
Federation of Namibia (SDFN) were enabled through financial
support from various partners. This includes core funding from
MISEREOR (Germany) and Shack/Slum Dwellers International
(SDI), through their Learning, Monitoring and Evaluation support
to affiliates. The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development (Murd)
financed house construction through their annual contribution
to the Twahangana Fund. The regional and local authorities have
enhanced and implemented their collaboration agreements for
the provision of affordable land.
There has been a further increase and significant contribution
in private sector funding towards the construction of houses.
The established profound reputation of NHAG and SDFN as well
as strengthened acquisition has contributed to this.
In the period covered by this annual report the following
companies contributed not only to the construction of houses
but also assisted with technical and capacity building: Standard
Bank of Namibias Buy-a-Brick Initiative, First National Bank of
Namibia, The Pupkewitz Foundation, Ohorongo Cement, Neo
Paints and B2Gold (Otjikoto Mine).
Informal settlement planning and upgrading received support
from UN-Habitats Global Land Tool Network, a City Alliance
supported project. The Participatory Slum Upgrading Program
(PSUP) was also funded by UN-Habitat. Under an existing
MoU, Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST)
supported NHAG/SDFN professionally and profoundly through
research and various technical and empirical contributions.
Provision of housing by the
Shack Dwellers Federation
of Namibia has doubled over
the past five years. From
around 250 houses per year
the Federation builds by now
around 650 houses per year.
Reasons for this are not only
the increased funding from
government and private
sector but also most notably
the strengthened capacity
and ownership by the
Federation and
communities.
Heinrich Amushila, Co-director of the Namibia
Housing Action Group (NHAG)
7
N
am
ib
ia
H
ou
si
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A
ct
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G
ro
up
(N
H
A
G
) a
nd
S
ha
ck
D
w
el
le
rs
F
ed
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at
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of
N
am
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(S
D
FN
)
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Introduction
The momentum of urbanisation in the world is unabated and
Namibia is no exception. After independence in 1990 Namibia
was 28% urbanized. In 2011 it was revealed that urbanization
had increased to 42% and current projections are that by 2020
urbanization would be 66% and more than 70% by 20301.
28 years after independence there is still entrenched class-
based socio-spatial segregation in towns and cities across
Namibia. Continued urbanization without economic growth
leads to an increased concentration of poverty in urban
areas. For this reason almost half of Namibias population lives
in informal settlements. Participatory informal settlement
upgrading should be used as a key tool to assist housing and land
delivery that includes communities.
Due to climatic changes and a succession of droughts since
2013 President Hage Geingob declared in May 2019 once again
a state of emergency. The severe drought situation results in an
increased rate of urbanisation in Namibia. Informal settlement
growth exceeds by far the upgrading pace; making it difficult to
keep up.
Namibias economy is further declining. In June 2019 Namibia
Statistics Agency (NSA) figures showed that more than half
of the 14 sectors making up the countrys economy, recorded
alarming decreases in economic activity during the first three
months of 20192. The current decline marks at least three years
of economic slowdown, or more than 10 quarters of negative
growth. Therefore national government has rendered minimal
financial assistance to local authorities for carrying out their
capital projects. Local authorities have minimal financial
capacities to finance service provision and other crucial
components related to informal settlement upgrading.
namibia Can Do It
Namibias urban development is still at a
point where it can be harnessed to bring
equity and wellbeing for the largest number
of inhabitants. (&) Considering the policy
and institutional frameworks in place, as well
as the remarkable record of community-led
development, Namibia is well positioned
to change the course of its urban future.
Organised communities have demonstrated
the potential to undertake and lead informal
settlement upgrading, which is a unique
characteristic that should be central to the
way Namibia approaches her urban future.
The time is now for a national urbanisation
plan that specifically targets the reversal of
Apartheid-era spatial plans.
Africa is the fastest-
urbanising continent in the
world, and yet only 1 in 3
countries have a national
plan for urbanisation. At the
moment, Namibia is not
one of them
Phillip Lühl, NUST, at the 2nd National Land
Conference October 2018.
This abstract is taken from the following NUST
publication: http://ir.nust.na/handle/10628/620
1. Dr. Anna Muller, factsheet 6/2018: http://ir.nust.na/bitstream/10628/620/1/fACT-SHeeT-6-2018-Informal-settlements%281%29.pdf .
2. https://ippr.org.na/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/namibia-QeR-Q2-2019-copy.pdf .
N
am
ibia H
ousing Action G
roup (N
H
A
G
) and Shack D
w
ellers Federation of N
am
ibia (SD
FN
)
A
nnual Report July 2018 June 2019
Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN) Namibia Housing Action Group (NHAG)
The Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN), is a community-
based network of housing saving schemes, aiming to improve the
living conditions of urban and rural poor. SDFN is an affiliate of Shack/
Slum Dwellers International (SDI).
Namibia Housing Action Group is a Non-Governmental Service
Organization, aiming to support and add value to the activities and
processes of the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia.
SDFN Vision & Mission
The Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibias main focus is to improve
the living conditions of low-income people living in shacks, rented
rooms and those without any accommodation, while promoting
womens participation.
The federation facilitates and advocates for change for those
excluded from commercial housing and financial processes, using a
community-driven approach.
NHAG Vision & Mission
The Namibia Housing Action Group aims to support the Shack Dwellers
Federation of Namibia in achieving their mission. NHAG facilitates
and advocates for change in the livelihood of urban and rural poor by
securing affordable land and shelter and improving the living conditions
of those excluded from commercial housing and financial processes,
using a community-driven approach.
Current status, June 2019
SDFN is a Peoples Movement made out of 851 saving groups
(Voluntary Associations), involving 26,880 households, saving N$ 31.3
million and building 5,300 houses to date.
Current status, June 2019
NHAG has the legal status of a Trust with 10 full time employees
supporting the SDFN financially, technically, linking the community to
the formal sector and administering their Twahangana Fund.
SDFN Strategic Objectives
We commit ourselves as a civil society and community based
organization to:
" Organize low-income communities through saving schemes
and build capacity of poor communities living in informal
settlements to drive their own development and access
resources.
" Provide access to funds for the poor for income generation,
houses and services.
" Promote bottom up inclusive participatory informal settlement
upgrading that will result in inclusive citywide plans.
" Lobby for and obtain affordable land, infrastructure and
resources for the poor.
" Improve the living environment of the poor by developing/
transferring skills for building houses and to raise awareness
of local/environmental sustainable building materials, and
resources.
" Promoting womens participation and leadership due to years
of experience where women lead the vast majority of the SDFN
saving groups in a very professional manner.
" Strengthen communities negotiation position by obtaining and
sharing information about the living conditions of the poor and
the activities of the groups through the program Community
Land Information Program (CLIP).
" Create learning centres for best practices on informal
settlement upgrading processes.
NHAG Strategic Objectives
We commit ourselves as a Professional Service Organization to:
" Facilitate the activities of the Shack Dwellers Federation of
Namibia (SDFN) by acting as the treasury for regional and national
activities, administering the Twahangana Fund and ensuring equal
distribution of resources.
" Facilitate SDFN inputs on policies and legislation, assist the
SDFN with documentation/reporting and advise SDFN and groups
representatives.
" Advocate for a transformation of Namibian urban policies, legal
frameworks, strategies and actions at the national, regional
and local levels to change the way that our towns and towns are
planned.
" Promote local-national partnerships in which community, regional
and national stakeholders are strategic partners for improving
access to land.
" Provide technical support to SDFN and community driven
settlement upgrading, service installation and house
construction.
" Facilitate international exchanges.
" Environmental issues and challenges are continuously taken
into account when lobbying local authorities or giving technical
support to SDFN.
8
About SDfn & nHAG
N
am
ib
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H
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A
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io
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G
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up
(N
H
A
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) a
nd
S
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D
w
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F
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of
N
am
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(S
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Historical Timeline
Residents in overcrowded rental rooms and hidden backyard structures start organising savings groups in order to
improve their poor living conditions.
Namibian Independence
namibia Housing Action Group (nHAG) is established to support the saving groups as an umbrella organisation.
The Twahangana fund is established by communities, as a community managed revolving fund of the Shack Dwellers
Federation of Namibia.
The Shack Dwellers federation of namibia (SDfn) is founded by 30 saving groups, which operated since the late
eighties.
The Community land Information Program (ClIP) is launched.
20 Years of nambia Housing Action Group (nHAG).
First Lady of the Republic of Namibia, Madame Monica Geingos becomes the patron of SDFN and launches the
buy-A brick Initiative by Standard bank.
Three Partnership funding Agreement (Orongo Cement, FNB and Pupkewitz Foundation) is launched by the First Lady
of the Republic of Namibia, Madame Monica Geingos.
20 years of Shack Dwellers federation of namibia (SDfn).
namibia Housing Action Group (nHAG) and Shack Dwellers federation of namibia (SDfn), through a partnership with
NUST, local and central government and the private sector, won the 2019 SDI Community-Led Habitat Award.
1987
1990
1992
1996
1998
2007
2012
2015
2016
2018
2019
9
10
N
am
ibia H
ousing Action G
roup (N
H
A
G
) and Shack D
w
ellers Federation of N
am
ibia (SD
FN
)
A
nnual Report July 2018 June 2019
Community saving is the SDFN cornerstone to organize
communities and the development of households participating
in the SDFN saving groups. Each group manages its own savings
account. When there are sufficient funds the group may put a
deposit on a piece of land.
The local authorities should provide the land, but in reality, this
is still the main obstacle. Payments for the provided land are
made to the respective local authorities over a ten-year period.
The saved money can also be used to meet basic and daily needs
as well as to secure further funding.
Every six months each SDFN group is visited by members of
another group for an audit of their saving books. These results
are combined on regional and national level, being combined in
the annual SDFN National Saving Report.
Community participation has increased social capital and
ownership in communities. Communities are able to rely on
each other for social and economic needs, even in times of
heavy economy slowdown.
This ownership and perspective for better future living
conditions also reduces crime in these communities. Through
more community exchanges and the new focus on informal
settlement upgrading, more saving groups are being established.
Communities have been mobilized in areas were land is made
available by local authorities. SDFN/NHAG will continue to
collaborate with communities and local authorities and invite
them to federation events such as brick making/house opening
events for exposure.
Women empowerment
The activities of NHAG/SDFN have a visible
impact on women empowerment in Namibia.
Women largely and actively participate in all
federation activities, within all 14 regions of
Namibia. The processes of forming saving
groups, engaging in community-based land
tenure and upscaling informal settlement
upgrading, have been mainly driven by women.
In June 2019 of the 26,118 SDFN members,
almost 18,000 were women. Women have
been empowered through active participation
in SDFN, which has given the opportunity to
break away from top-down leadership that
had traditionally made people apathetic.
Community Savings
By June 2019 the Shack
Dweller Federation of Namibia
had 26,118 members in 14
regions and the amount of
saved money exceeded 31
million Namibian Dollars
Edith Mbanga, National Facilitator of SDFN
11
N
am
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H
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A
ct
io
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G
ro
up
(N
H
A
G
) a
nd
S
ha
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D
w
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le
rs
F
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of
N
am
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(S
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national Saving Report June 2018
REGION Groups Members Male Female
Savings from the
beginning (N$)
Savings to buy land (N$)
eRonGo 149 4,672 1,588 3,084 3,231,131.00 4,849,193.29
HARDAP 30 961 201 760 299,275.98 2,730.00
KARAS 62 1,697 521 1,176 560,620.80 7,881.45
KAVAnGo eAST 16 469 59 410 203,957.51 1,069.00
KAVAnGo WeST 14 301 65 236 89,206.25 -
KHoMAS 156 7,216 3,380 3,836 3,489,104.56 4,616,136.34
KUnene 25 955 260 695 413,417.25 -
oHAnGWenA 43 871 150 721 1,292,778.20 -
oMAHeKe 41 1,478 522 956 698,037.18 167,685.34
oMUSATI 46 1,230 211 1019 2,091,979.00 -
oSHAnA 57 1,002 174 828 2,074,785.54 6,906.73
oSHIKoTo 67 1,709 518 1,191 2,062,563.90 -
oTJoZonDJUPA 54 1,419 416 1,003 2,596,571.04 -
ZAMbeZI 27 658 150 508 308,119.89 42,086.27
OVERALL 787 24,638 8,215 16,423 19,411,548.10 9,693,688.42
TOTAL SAVINGS (N$) 29,105,236.52
REGION Groups Members Male Female
Savings from the
beginning (N$)
Savings to buy land (N$)
ERONGO 180 5,540 1,922 3,618 4,497,094.05 5,680,443.35
HARDAP 28 788 175 613 312,096.28 4,730.00
KARAS 63 1,769 415 1,354 692,744.22 -
KAVANGO EAST 19 647 127 520 236,651.92 4,020.00
KAVANGO WEST 27 353 78 275 291,046.00 -
KHOMAS 152 7,398 3,297 4,101 2,852,856.30 5,072,645.94
KUNENE 29 1,393 385 1,008 352,525.68 -
OHANGWENA 54 1,111 237 874 1,508,664.20 -
OMAHEKE 43 1,437 557 880 582,470.86 48,739.45
OMUSATI 41 870 43 827 1,643,334.80 -
OSHANA 57 981 143 838 2,156,889.99 -
OSHIKOTO 95 2,285 628 1,657 2,669,963.65 -
OTJOZONDJUPA 38 883 272 611 2,086,812.01 91,209.50
ZAMBEZI 25 663 122 541 499,864.47 15,223.50
oVeRAll 851 26,118 8,401 17,717 20,383,014.43 10,917,011.74
totAl Savings (n$) - - - - 31,300,026.17 -
national Saving Report June 2019
12
existing Government Support through the Twahangana fund
House construction support from the Government to the SDFN has been taking place through the Twahangana
Fund. Since the year 2000 SDFN received annually a grant from the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development
(Murd), based on the fact that members were saving effectively. This annual budget was N$ 10 million in past years.
In 2018 an additional N$ 5 million from a previous budget year will allow SDFN saving groups to build around 500
houses of 34m2. While these contributions go a long way, the expenditure on this sector is comparatively little when
compared to other on-going public projects. Expenditure on upgrading informal settlements is a social investment
that has positive effects on health, education and the sense of being part of the nation. These houses built by SDFN
members cost less than N$ 40,000 each. This is about 5 times cheaper than contractor- built houses by parastatal
organizations.
N
am
ibia H
ousing Action G
roup (N
H
A
G
) and Shack D
w
ellers Federation of N
am
ibia (SD
FN
)
A
nnual Report July 2018 June 2019
The lifeblood of the Shack Dwellers Federation movement is
the community savings that enable the groups to access funds
from the Twahangana Fund; a community managed revolving
fund that provides micro loans to the members of the SDFN
saving groups for land acquisition, servicing of land and the
subsequent construction of incremental housing/ 89% of the
Namibian population does not qualify for conventional home
loans and cannot access commercial housing. This fund serves
as a tool for the very poor to access financial support in a way
that is not supported by the official banking instruments.
Due to the transparent management of the Twahangana Fund by
the community themselves and the corresponding impact they
have been making on the ground, the SDFN has managed to lure
the First Lady of Namibia, Madame Monica Geingos, to be their
patron since 2015. The First Lady has also used her influential
position to further engage other stakeholders from the private
sector to channel financial resources to the SDFN.
In the last 20 years NHAG and SDFN have demonstrated
community-led capacity to manage donor and government
funds that may be attributed to their years of experience and
robust management systems. The housing projects being
funded by the Government through the Ministry of Urban and
Rural Development Development/the National Housing Program
Built Together as well as private sector funds are being
channelled directly to the Twahangana Fund.
Built Together
Channelled, 7.8%
Private Sector
9.4%
Interest. 0.8%
External Funder
12.1%
Government
(MURD) 36.7%
SDFN member
repay/PPF
contribute,
37.3%
Twahangana Fund since 1995:
Channelling a bit over N$ 180 Million to the Poor of
Namibia
Twahangana fund
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N
am
ib
ia
H
ou
si
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A
ct
io
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G
ro
up
(N
H
A
G
) a
nd
S
ha
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D
w
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rs
F
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Funder Amount
Ministry of Urban and Rural Development N$ 15,000,000
Standard Bank Buy-a-Brick Initiative N$ 1,512,431
FNB, Ohorongo Cement, Pupkewitz Foundation N$ 2,950,000
Member repayments N$ 6,540,977
Total income for loans received N$ 26,003,409
Type of loan
Recipients by
Households
Amount
House loans 437 N$ 14,855,437
Small business loans 123 N$ 611,000
Service loans 560 N$ 829,288
Total loans through Twahangana Fund 1,120 N$ 16,295,725
Poor Peoples fund strengthened
The Poor Peoples Fund is the contributions made by the
members of the SDFN towards the Twahangana fund to
ensure its sustainability. In 2017 SDFN members were
encouraged to contribute a one-off payment, which
could also be paid in instalments. Federation members
managed to contribute N$ 2,400,000. SDFN opened a
new and separate account for the Poor Peoples Fund.
Over the last months it became clear that the Poor
Peoples Fund should first and foremost sustain SDFN/
NAHG and their projects. It should remain an income
generating reserve, but the federation is still deciding
how it would be used, for example: towards small
businesses and service loans in order to attract more
funding?
loans approved by Twahangana July 2018 to June 2019
Total Income to support loans July 2018 to June 2019
14
N
am
ibia H
ousing Action G
roup (N
H
A
G
) and Shack D
w
ellers Federation of N
am
ibia (SD
FN
)
A
nnual Report July 2018 June 2019
The Community Land Information Program (CLIP) was launched
2007 by SDFN/NHAG, in partnership with informal settlement
communities, as well as local, regional and national government.
The aim is to generate information on local level to identify
development needs and opportunities. Know Your City is a global
campaign of Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI), United
Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG-A) and Cities
Alliance. Around the world, slum dwellers collect citywide data
and information on informal settlements3. The CLIP program
implies profiling, enumeration and mapping.
Generally, most informal settlements that are undergoing
an upgrading process have seen rapid expansion in size due
to people speculating on property rights and prices. NHAG
together with the communities initiated a stage referred to as
the verification process, in which the community, together with
the local authority, compares data collected through
CLIP and existing structures on the ground to identify
the speculators. This has had a positive effect on the
communication between civil society and authorities in
charge.
In 2008 the communities counted 235 informal
settlements with 135,000 shacks accommodating
about 500,000 people through informal settlement
profiling. The current updated numbers show that
there are 282 informal settlements with 228,423 shacks
accommodating about 950,000 people. This means
close to 50% of the Namibian population are now living
in shacks in urban areas.
Community Land Information
Program (CLIP) /
Know Your City Campaign
3. https://knowyourcity.info/explore-our-data/
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N
am
ib
ia
H
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si
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A
ct
io
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G
ro
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(N
H
A
G
) a
nd
S
ha
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D
w
el
le
rs
F
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of
N
am
ib
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(S
D
FN
)
A
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House construction
& Informal Settlement
Upgrading
House Constructions
Until June 2019 SDFN has built, with technical
support by NHAG, an overall number of 5,033 houses.
From June 2018 until June 2019 SDFN constructed
436 houses in 7 regions with the technical support of
NHAG.
When SDFN members start planning house
construction projects - in any of the 14 regions
of Namibia - NHAG personnel provides in-depth
technical support and training during the whole
process. Starting with consultation of stakeholders,
followed by preparation for implementation (planning)
and during the whole construction process: installing
services, like water and sewer, making bricks and
building the houses.
Community based housing approaches significantly
reduce the overall costs of the housing units. The
use of profit-driven private contractors escalates
costs to be borne by individuals unnecessarily. These
community driven approaches also reduce costs
through economies of scale. Savings made through
bulk purchase and negotiation of material costs
trickle down to the beneficiaries. Costs are further
reduced through labour provided by beneficiaries in
making their own bricks, surveying their own land,
digging their trenches for laying water and sewer
pipes etc.
The installation of services, specifically water and
sewer connections have reduced health risks in
communities. The re-blocked areas have better
accessibility, which makes it easier for local
authorities to provide emergency services. The
spread of fires due to structures being in close
proximity has also been reduced.
Houses built by SDfn Members
Members usually build two room houses, comprising 34m2
at a cost of N$ 1,060 per square meter and they install
their own water and sewer services (in line with national
standards) when they receive parcels of land. These cement
brick or blockhouses include one bedroom, a kitchen/living
room and a bathroom, which includes a toilet and shower.
Plot sizes vary from 150 to 300m2, giving space to double the
size of the house when needs or funds increase.
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House Constructions July 2018 to June 2019
Date
Name of the Saving
Group
Location No. of Houses Allocation to house loans by:
July 2018 Blessing Savings Berseba 22 Murd
September 2018 Muhupwa, Ovikango Aminus 60 30 Murd & 30 Buy-a-Brick4
November 2018
Taniku, !kho/lloayu, Tani/
lamyu, Uitani
Outjo 72 40 Murd & 32 FNB
November 2018
Likondjela (5), Pendapala (2),
Onambango (3)
Oshikango 10 Buy-a-Brick
November 2018 Omake22,Tuatungu 24 Otjiwarongo 46 12 Murd & 10 B2 Gold & 24 Buy-a-Brick
November 2018 Smarties Kalkfeld 36 Murd
December 2018
Nalitungwe (12), Indeleni (13),
Twapandula (14)
Okongo 39 9 Murd & 30 Buy-a-Brick
December 2018 Kankan Otavi 30 FNB
December 2018
Working together 12,
Tukondjeni 8
Lüderitz 20 Murd
July - Dec 2018 334
February 2019
Turipamwe Rainbow, Lets
stand together,
Gobabis 9 Murd
March 2019 Ada di tsa Mariental 20 Buy-a-Brick
April 2019 Twauna Omaruru 26 Murd
May 2019 Omuretima Opuwo 27 Murd
June 19 Twayambekwa Otavi 20 FNB
Jan June 2019 102
July 2018 June 2019 Total houses 436
4. Initiative from Standard bank namibia, channeled through the Twahangana fund.
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Upgrading Informal Settlements
Financial support from National Government for
house construction has increased within the last
years. Financial or technical support for informal
settlements upgrading is conventionally channelled
through local authorities.
National policies and strategies are lacking concrete
implementation measures to scale up informal
settlement upgrading and to ensure that informal
settlement upgrading is bottom-up and conducted
in a participatory way through wide-ranging
partnerships.
NHAG and SDFN with the Gobabis Municipality
approached the government to support the Freedom
Square Upgrading Project financially as a pilot
project. It facilitates learning for the upscaling of
informal settlement upgrading.
This pilot will contribute toward the stipulation of the
2009 National Housing Policy: The Government, in
partnership with other role players, is committed to
upgrade 75% of the informal settlements to formal
townships by the year 2030. The attainment of this
goal requires the mobilization of public, private
and community resources and energy within the
context of public, private and people partnership.
The current challenge is how to reach a common
understanding with national and local politicians and
management of how higher density and mixed land
use could lead to more affordable and sustainable
land solutions for the urban poor.
Cost-efficiency of Informal Settlement
Upgrading
The government recently supported a pilot project
for water and sewer upgrading in the Freedom Square
Informal Settlement in Gobabis, which reached more
than 1,000 households. The community, NHAG and the
Municipality implemented the project in partnership with
the community. The aim is to give access to security
of tenure, water and sanitation at a cost of less than
N$ 10,000 per household, while the formally developed
individual plots cost around N$ 80,000.
Urban centres Number of upgraded settlements
Gobabis 4
Otjinene 1
Outjo 1
Helao Nafidi 1
Khorixas 1
Tsumeb 1
Khomas 1
Henties Bay 1
Karibib 1
Total: 12 settlements
9 urban centres in 6 regions of namibia
ongoing Informal Settlement Upgrading by June 2019
From the remaining 8 regions, 2 regions (Kavango east and
Hardap) will start with the upgrading process in September 2019
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At total of 512 households obtained land during this reporting period.
Tenure has improved in the last year but it is still a major obstacle.
Nationwide 9,000 households forming part of the Shack Dwellers
Federation of Namibia have no access to security of tenure.
land Allocation in Windhoek City Years of
Stagnation
The last time authorities of the City of Windhoek allocated land to SDFN
members was 2008, to Kunene Saving Group, Otjomuise. In the past 11
years no significant improvement concerning the acquirement of land
has taken place. There is however an ongoing and persistent dialog
between NHAG/SDFN and the authorities in charge. Unfortunately, there
is only a very vague commitment and few measurable deliverables. Even
though years have passed there is hope due to continued dialogue.
There are over 5,300 SDFN members in Windhoek without land. It is
worth noting that there is a far greater number of people in need of land
in informal settlements. These numbers are increasing on a regular
basis as people are coming to Windhoek for job opportunities and better
services in various sectors. SDFN member growth in Windhoek is low
compared to other regions because without allocated land, there is no
evidence visible to the public as a reason to participate.
land Allocation - July 2018 to June 2019
Urban areas No. of plots m2
Oshakati 300 90,000
Eenhana 84 25,200
Mariental 20 6,000
Stampriet 35 10,500
Grootfontein 24 7,200
Oranjemund 49 14,700
Total 512 153,600
Securing Land
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namibian Youth
SDfn Youth - in Khomas Region (where
Windhoek City is located)
Especially effected is the youth in Khomas Region where the
SDFN groups have not been able to access any land in the City
of Windhoek for the past 11 years. This means that it is difficult
to find a federation head of household less than 40 years of age
in the city.
The Khomas youth is actively involved in the Community Land
Information Program (CLIP). This participation of the youth
is much needed to improve data collection in Windhoek and
around (Khomas region).
Namibia has one of the youngest and fastest-growing
populations in southern Africa. In 2018 the median age in
Namibia was 21.3 years. The youth unemployment rate in
Namibia continues to increase and reached an all-time high of
46.10% in 2018. Youth empowerment in Namibia is thus crucial
for sustainable development of the country.
SDFN Youth has more than 150 members and they have saved up
to N$ 60,000 for land. The youth is very involved in data collection
towards scaling up informal settlement upgrading. They are very
active and visible in fundraising activities, to sustain themselves
as an organization, to pay tuition fees and to do youth projects.
A very successful fundraising dinner was conducted with
keynote speaker First Lady of the Republic of Namibia, Madame
Monica Geingos, where N$ 120,000 was raised to support youth
members with their studies. The youth was supported by Rotary,
among others, and received training through a Youth Holistic
Management Training. The visible benefits of working together
with the federation have spread through communities and more
youth members are joining due to the community-based work
of SDFN.
Living in the informal
settlements does not
determine who you are!
Tresia Shikongo, SDFN Youth Facilitator in
Windhoek City, Havanna informal settlement
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Clean Cooking Competition
As part of Shack/Slum Dwellers Internationals (SDI)
Energy Justice Programme, to deliver a cook stoves
programme that aims to reduce these risks, NHAG/
SDFN invited youth members from different regions
to participate in the cooking competitions/youth days.
The goal of these events was to raise awareness of the
dangers associated with unclean indoor cooking as well
its contribution to climate chance. SDFN/NHAG promoted
the role of clean cooking within the wider scope of SDIs
Energy Programme: contributing to a transition towards
cleaner, safer, environmentally friendly and more
affordable energy resources.
The Cooking Competition
In August 2018 NHAG/SDFN hosted a Cooking
Demonstrations with the clear focus on the youth in
partnership with SDI, Twins on Tour5 and the Michelin Star-
Chef Alan Wise. Ms. Erenstine Honga, a youth member
from Cleverhill saving scheme, won the competition
in Namibia. Consequently, the winners from different
countries convened in Nakuru, Kenya, in December 2018
for the final of the Master Chef competition.
SDIs energy Justice Program
Indoor emissions from most cook stoves contribute
significantly to respiratory diseases, which are responsible
for a huge number of deaths worldwide. Harmful gasses
and tiny particles released during inefficient burning
of fuels such as wood, charcoal, paraffin, and other
biomass and fossil-based cooking fuels are responsible
for this. These unclean indoor cooking methods are also
associated with an increased risk of household fires,
inequitable household expenditure on cooking fuel,
deforestation, and outdoor air pollution contributing to
greenhouse gas emissions.
Access to clean and modern cooking is integral in reducing
poverty and advancing human dignity. The co-benefits of
clean cooking can help achieve 10 of the 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDG), including health and wellbeing,
gender equality, environmental protection, climate
action and sustainable cities. Moreover, clean cooking is
particularly relevant to fulfilling the commitment of the
Agenda 2030 to leave no one behind.
5. http://knowyourcity.info/2018/06/sdi-partners-twins-tour-share-stories-african-youth/
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Cooperation with
national Public Sector
national Government of namibia / Ministry of
Rural and Urban Development (Murd)
The National Government increasingly recognizes and
articulates that bottom-up approaches are crucial in addressing
the urban land and housing crisis. This official recognition
resulted in an eagerness of local authorities towards upscaling
the informal settlement upgrading process and some local
authorities have started to appreciate the benefits and cost-
efficiency of participatory planning rather than having a top
down approach to planning.
The installation of services, specifically water and sewer
connections have reduced health risks in communities. The re-
blocked areas have better accessibility, which makes it easier
for local authorities to provide emergency services. The spread
of fires due to structures being in close proximity has also been
reduced.
Collaboration with Regional and
local Authorities
There is an increased interest under local authorities to
collaborate with communities organised by SDFN and
supported by NHAG. The increasing emphasis on peoples
housing solutions in Namibia have contributed to the growing
acknowledgement of local initiatives and innovations led by
organizations like the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia and
the Namibia Housing Action Group.
Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed in
September 2018 with the Municipality of Hentiesbay, in March
2019 with the Municipality of Swakopmund and as well as with
the Association of Local Authorities in Namibia (ALAN) and in
April 2019 with the Town Council of Oranjemund.
The situation in informal
settlement constitutes a
national humanitarian crisis.
His Excellency, the President of Namibia
Dr. Hage Geingob at the 2nd Land Conference
in October 2019
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House opening events
47 houses built by SDFn hand over in Otjinene and launch of
construction of 11 new houses
20 houses built by SDFn were hand over in Mariental by
Hon. Derek Klazen, Deputy
ongoing local exchange and networking
events
Mobilising new savings groups, exchanging knowledge
on best practices and lessons learnt - related to
various topics from construction methods and service
installation to bookkeeping - are the main and ongoing
activities of the Federations savings groups with
invaluable administrative and technical support from
NHAG. In the period of this annual report numerous
learning activities took place on a local level. Exchange
of knowledge in workshops, with different national
stakeholders, local training and day-to-day peer-
learning processes have increased SDFN/NHAGs
capacity to approach obstacles and different situations
encountered in projects.
The following is a selection of prominent local and
international events that took place during the period
covered by this report:
2nd national land Conference, october
2018
The urbanization prospects in Namibia indicate that in
the coming decades, the vast majority of the population
will live in urban areas. Without a sizable intervention in
sight to improve the situation in existing settlements
and plan for future growth, the living conditions in urban
areas will aggravate fast.
Exchanges, Sharing,
Learning by Doing
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for informal settlement upgrading in Namibia: Practical and
implementable insights based on the SDI-UPFI High Level
Roundtable, February 20196. One proposal of this paper from
July 2019 is: Coordinate existing initiatives through a national
alliance. There was broad media coverage and the Chairperson
of the SDI, Rose Molekane was interviewed live on the NBC main
news.
Coordination of Informal Settlement upgrading
through a national Alliance,
by NHAG Co-Director Dr Anna Muller:
The informal settlement emergency is of such a scale, that
not one stakeholder is able to address it. It is therefore
important for stakeholders to come together to tackle
this huge challenge. For NHAG/SDFN the most important
stakeholders that can contribute to solve the problem
are the communities living in the informal settlements.
Based on the experiences of the communities successfully
developing their land and services with the support of their
local authorities, various stakeholders have come together
to support such process. The High-Level Roundtable in
February 2019 gave the stakeholders the opportunity to
listen to international experiences.
SDFN/NHAG are looking forward to strengthening the
national alliance to coordinate implementation to scale,
while continuing with the informal settlement upgrading
already initiated in nine urban areas of the informal
settlement areas in Namibia. There are major challenges
facing this process, as concluded during the Round Table
discussion: There is a clear disconnect between what the
poor need and what politicians want. A consensus that
the upgrading of informal settlements is possible through
enhanced community participation and end-user focused
solution was established.
It is this pressing situation that was recognized in 2018 at
the Second National Land Conference, where urban land
reform became one of the five areas of discussion. The
Shack Dwellers Federation had the opportunity to make
a presentation at the National Land Conference and the
National Facilitator Edith Mbanga used this opportunity
to highlight the issue for the Informal Settlements in
Namibia. The presentation included figures combined
by the CLIP, data collected by the SDFN and the local
authorities: Recent informal settlement back yard
profiles indicate that 228,423 shacks, in 308 informal
settlement, are estimated to accommodate up to
950,000 people.
Urban forum in namibia, february 2019
The Shack Dwellers International and Urban Poor Fund
International (SDI-UPFI) High Level Roundtable took
place at the State House (Windhoek) in February 2019.
A paper was co-developed by the Office of the First
Lady of the Republic of Namibia, Monica Geingos and
Guillermo Delgado at the Integrated Land Management
Institute (ILMI) at the Namibia University of Science
and Technology with concrete proposals: Seven ideas
6. http://urbanforum.nust.na/sites/default/files/events/IlMI-one-economy-Seven-ideas-for-informal-settlement-upgrading-Web.pdf
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namibia and Zambia exchange, March 2019
The Namibia Housing Action Group (NHAG) and the Shack
Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN) hosted this Learning
Exchange with technical and financial support by SDI.
Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI)
Southern African HUb meetings
SDI HUB meetings are gatherings that bring affiliates together
to collectively set the agenda for the region. They are used as a
mechanism to share collective learning, devise targeted support
strategies for individual countries and to cement planning, on a
regional scale, for the next period.
Zambia, October 2018: SDFN/NHAG attended this HUB meeting
and left with a clear understanding of the importance of
increased youth participation in the Namibian federation.
Namibia, March 2019: Participants from Zambia, Malawi,
Zimbabwe, eSwatini, South Africa, Botswana and Namibia took
part in this meeting. The hub meeting created awareness on the
partnership SDFN/NHAG has with the Namibian Government and
the private sector ssuch as Standard Bank Namibia, Pupkewitz
Foundation, FNB, Ohorongo Cement and B2Gold. The Namibians
were able to learn from other countries that are using their Poor
Peoples Fund to generate money and Namibians are now eager
to explore possibilities of how to use their fund.
Africities Summit, november 2018
Africities is the United Cities and Local Governments of Africas
flagship pan-African event that is held every three years7.
NHAG management with four SDI federation members from
Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Zambia participated in the Africities
Conference held in November 2018 in Morocco. Besides making
a presentation to the conference, NHAG Co-Director Dr Anna
Muller also facilitated participation by the SDI delegation in
five Side Events during the conference. Focus during
the sessions at the Conference was on the role of the
urban poor in developing their cities, data collection,
participation in planning, addressing land issues, tenure
and women leading their country and international
movements.
SDI Management Meetings
January 2019 in Cape Town: The NHAG Co-Director
Dr. Anna Muller is one of the two NGO representatives
on the management committee (Professional Service
Organisation), others are of the federations members.
She attended the SDI Board and Council meeting with
two SDFN members and the NHAG Documentation
and Information Officer in January 2019 in Cape Town.
During the Cape Town meeting the participants had an
opportunity to visit and exchange views on a Greenfield
project where the South African Federation of the Urban
and Rural Poor (FEDUP) is planning to work with other
partners in providing land and services to their saving
groups.
May 2019 in Nairobi: At this meeting the SDI affiliates
took inter alia an in-depth look at the challenges of climate
change as well as resilience/disaster management
and in what role SDI and their affiliates could be part
of the solution. Residents of informal settlements
have to start implementing climate adaptations now.
These could include conserving water by implementing
kitchen gardens, making houses resistant to extreme
rains (resilience and disaster management) and the use
of clean cooking solutions as SDFN advocated for in the
Clean Cooking competition in August 2018.
7. https://www.africities.org
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Un Assembly in nairobi, May 2019
NHAG was part of the official delegation attending the
UN-Habitat meeting. During the Assembly Hon. Dr Peya
Mushelenga, Namibias Minister of Urban and Rural
Development, received the 2019 Community-led Habitat
Award from the Co-Habitat on behalf of Namibia.
Namibia received recognition for the Multiple Partner
Approach to Community-Led Housing and Services in
Namibia8 which was definitely a highlight of the past
year.
8. https://www.co-habitat.net/fr/news/winners-of-the-community-led-habitat-awards-for-africa-announced
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Managing NHAG
In June 2019 NHAG finalised the Updated Strategic
Framework for the next 5 years, until 20249. The core
business of the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia
did not change and the organisation around savings, led
mainly by women, is the drive of the network.
The new focuses in the work of the NHAG/SDFN are
the engagement with informal settlement upgrading
initiatives in partnership with other stakeholders and the
involvement of the youth.
9. for further information please contact Hendrina Shuunyuni, Documentation and Media liaison officer, namibia Housing Action Group, Tel: 061-239398
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nHAG is managed by a
Board of Trustees.
The current nHAG
Trustees are:
Board Member
Mr. Onni-Ndangi lithete
Chairperson
Mr. Danie Botha
Board Member
Mr. Erastus Amakali
NHAG Co-Director, Exco Office
Dr. Anna Muller
Board Member
Mr. Nathanael Araseb
Board Member
Ms. Naomi Simion
NHAG Co-Director, Exco Office
Mr. Heinrich Amushila
Board Member
Hon. Maureen Margreth Hinda,
MP, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs
and Immigration
Board Member
Onesimus Nekondo
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nHAG expenses for Core Activities
July 2018 to June 2019
* Including local contribution to
co-funded projects
Overall Budget:
Total Expenses of Core
Activities:
Admin/Management
n$ 471,834.00
Federation Support Activities
n$ 4,958,429.00
NHAG Facilitations
n$ 2,836,085.00
N$ 9,013,200
N$ 8,266,347
Twahangana
Fund* 40%
UN-Habitat 2%
Standard Bank
4%
First National
Bank 9%
SDI 22%
Misereor
23%
nHAG Income
July 2018 to June 2019
Admin
Management 6%
NHAG Facilitations
34%
Federation
Support
Activities 60%
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The invaluable political shift of recognizing informal settlement
upgrading processes could have the negative effect of making
local authorities complacent and furthermore treating SDFN/
NHAG as an employee rather than partners, even though MoUs
were signed. More and more local authorities have started to
appreciate the value of participatory planning rather than having
a top down approach to planning.
Considering the current situation and potential options for the
way forward, the following challenges were identified. These
issues affect the ability to respond adequately and to provide
improved access to urban land:
" Innovative and inclusive planning instruments are required.
" Lack of a sustainable economic base and unemployment
in smaller local authorities influence finance available for
development.
" Partnerships and collaboration between local authorities
and non- governmental organizations and communities
need to be strengthened.
" Instead of the turn-key housing approach, proper
recognition is required that poor people can continue
to address their housing needs themselves through
incremental improvement over time, as long as they have
access to tenure.
" New low-income houses are located too far away from the
means of livelihood of the low-income population who must
face in addition to limited job opportunities, long travelling
distances and high transport costs.
" The implementation of the Flexible Land Tenure Act should
be expedited and should include civil society actors as
important stakeholders in the implementation process.
The Flexible Land Tenure Pilot is so far largely excluding
community inputs in its processes.
ongoing
Challenges
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Namibia Housing Action Group (NHAG)
PO BOX: 21010
11 Mozart Street, Windhoek West
Windhoek, Namibia.
Tel: +264 61 239398
Fax: +264 61 239397