Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Walvis Bay Town Council wants fishing companies to create a consortium to help service and develop Farm 37 for their employees.
Farm 37 is a portion of land about 12km east of the town, which has been identified as a possible solution to the housing crisis at the town. The councillors’ proposal followed their ordinary meeting this week, at which the possible sale of land at Kuisebmond to Tunacor Fishing and Seawork Fish Processors was discussed.
The two companies approached the council to purchase Erf 8635, measuring 36 238 square metres, and Erf 5757, measuring 30 022 square metres, to construct houses for their employees.
Tunacor, which has a workforce of 3 200 employees, proposed to build 1 000 houses on the land. Seawork, with a workforce of 1 700, wants to construct 500 houses.
Both pieces of land are unserviced. During meetings with the two companies it was in principle agreed that the land be awarded to the two companies to establish new townships.
Before the chairperson of the management council, Richard Hoaeb, could read the recommendations, Swapo councillor Ephraim Shozi interjected. Shozi said the two companies should be shown land elsewhere where they can assist the municipality with the servicing of land. He suggested that the land at Kuisebmond be reserved for other residents.
“At Narraville, we have a lot of land. Why can we not show them to Narraville? Is it because it would cost them a lot of money to push over the dunes? Here [at Kuisebmond] where we have bulk service, we must make land available and service it for our people,” he said.
Shozi said giving land to the fishing companies is like putting it in the hands of private developers. “I will never try to vote against our people. We are here to deliver services and land to our people, but we cannot give land away,” he said.
Deputy mayor Saara Mutondoka, however, said the council should give the land to the fishing companies to develop. This is because the council does not have the money to service the two plots, she said.
“These people have come to us and asked for the land to develop and build houses for their workers who are staying in shacks that are burning every day.
“We are saying if the companies are serious, let us give the land and take that land off council’s shoulders,” she said. The council was devided between the two views. Hoaeb said the discussion about offering the two companies land at Farm 37 was also tabled.
“Look at the number of employees they [the fishing companies] have who do not own houses. The proposed land is not enough to accommodate everybody. If you look at the submission, we are putting it on hold so that our own inhouse town planning department can complete the planning process,” he said.
This is not the first time fishing companies approached the council for land to build for their employees houses. In 2020, the council gave five hectares of land to a consortium of fishing companies, comprising Cavema Fishing, Rainbow Fishing, Overberg Fishing and Scombrus Fishing, to construct 330 housing units for their staff.
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