Housing demand continues to grow at Otavi, and the council has started with the upgrading of its three informal settlements, which were established as a result of illegal settlements.

Otavi Mayor Isaac !Hoaeb says they have started counting the zinc-structured houses for demarcation.

!Hoaeb says a total of 400 households have been enumerated at Kap n' Bou, 500 at Naruseb, and 600 at Harambee informal settlements.

"So what we have done is we have numbered the shacks and we have got a profile of Kap n' Bou, a complete profile of Kap n' Bou, and now we have also developed a plan, and based on the plan, by this weekend we are going to put pegs and move people into their plots."

!Hoaeb added that the council has also revived its Build Together Housing Project for ultra- and low-income groups.

"We have approved loans for 43 applicants, and we are in the process now, we have actually advertised. It has gone on, and it has gone out on procurement, so that builders, local builders who are interested, can come forth so that they can build these 43 houses. We are going to build 43 houses under the Build Together programme. And that is also part of the challenge we have in Otavi. We have developed plots for upper-income groups, but for the low and ultra-low, we don't have enough plots or enough land. So that is why our focus is on the ultra and low groups."

The council has a housing backlog of 2,000, and it is in need of 1,500 plots through its settlement upgrading programme.

Through a participatory approach, the residents of an informal settlement will pay less than N$4,000 for the plots.

Otavi is home to over 7,000 inhabitants.