Farm 37 dream close to reality

Farm 37 dream close to reality65 000 to be resettled at Walvis Bay Addressing a Walvis Bay town council meeting on Tuesday, mayor Immanuel Wilfred said the Farm 37 residential development was now a mere formality. NAMPA



The Walvis Bay municipality’s resubmission of an application for land to resettle the landless is expected to be approved.

Farm 37, a piece of virgin land located five kilometres south of Walvis Bay, is expected to resolve the land scarcity at the harbour town.

The municipality plans to relocate more than 65 000 residents currently renting backyard shacks.

Last year, the Namibia Planning Advisory Board (Nampab) turned down the application but the local authority did not give up.

Addressing a town council meeting on Tuesday, mayor Immanuel Wilfred said Farm 37 was now a mere formality.

He said the council met with Nampab last month to address a number of issues that had hampered the application.

“These issues were amicably resolved and official approval for the establishment of Farm 37 should therefore be a mere formality,” he said.

The first application was turned down because the community had not been consulted on the matter and because the area is situated near a dusty quarry that could pose a health hazard. An environmental clearance certificate was pending.

These issues were resolved and the council was waiting for final approval, the mayor said.

“Only once we have received that first round of approval can we move forward to the series of requirements to satisfy the Townships Board, before we can plan for the provision of services.”

He said by the next time they provided feedback to the public the local authority should have a better idea of how long it would take to develop the first phase.

Wilfred emphasised that only the council had the mandate to make any official announcements regarding the project.

The mayor said there were individuals and groups spreading incorrect information and collecting money to reserve plots.

“We are appealing to residents not to fall into those traps because it is highly unlikely that they will see their money again and they will not be able to reserve any erven through these dubious means.”

He said the allocation of plots would be done strictly according to the official waiting list.

Wilfred said all residents have a duty to report dishonest people to the police.