Okakarara Mayor Siegfried Tjehiua said the provision of water tops the list of priorities, noting that residents in informal areas have been deprived of basic services for years.

There is progress in the implementation of the National Informal Settlement Upgrading Project at Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.

This is according to the National Housing Enterprise (NHE), which has appointed a pool of contractors to speed up the construction of houses.

Residents of the Havana informal settlements have raised concerns over stormwater flooding their homes as a result of the ongoing Peter Nanyemba Road project. Those living near the road bear the brunt of the stormwater.

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has promised to ensure the decongestion of overpopulated informal settlements through the informal settlement upgrading programme.

President Nandi-Ndaitwah promised this during a meet-and-greet of Swapo Party members and sympathisers along the B1 road in Otavi.

At Outapi in the Omusati Region, officials held a handover ceremony for certificates of landhold titles under the Flexible Land Tenure system, where over 200 project beneficiaries from Outapi received their certificates.

Shack fires remain one of the most devastating and recurring challenges facing many.

It's against this background that the City of Windhoek's Fire Brigade and Namib Mills' Top Score are carrying out a pilot project aimed at equipping homes with fire-combating solutions. 

The City of Windhoek aims to electrify about 2,000 houses in the informal settlements of Katutura.

So far, 113 houses have been electrified in Windhoek's Katutura areas of Babylon and three blocks in Istanbul Road in Otjomuise.

The Standing Committee on Urban and Rural Development and Land Reform has commended the Aroab Village Council in the ||Kharas Region for establishing a reception area to address uncontrolled informal settlements in and around the town.

Since the beginning of this year, Swakopmund has reported 22 fire incidents, primarily affecting shacks.

Kunene Governor Marius Sheya has revived the Build Together Housing programme in Outjo to help address the backlog of over 4,000 residents on the waiting list.

Currently, the most affected and needy homeowners are located in the town's ever-expanding informal settlements.