Hundreds of backyard tenants at Walvis Bay gathered in front of the town's municipality to apply for land at portion 23 of Farm 37.

Members of the Nalitungwe Community Savings Foundation have become new landowners at Farm 37 on the outskirts of Walvis Bay.

The municipality has allocated them portion 12, which will need to be serviced. 

Walvis Bay Mayor Trevino Forbes is calling on the business community, as well as those in the education, police, hospitals, and religious sectors, to assist the council in bringing much-needed services closer to residents of Farm 37.

Members of the Walvis Bay Backyard Tenants Association celebrated councils' approval to grant a large portion of land at Farm 37 to its members.

Farm 37 is an area on the outskirts of the harbour town, identified in 2015 as a solution to the towns' land and housing demands.

Lack of funds is among the challenges preventing beneficiaries at Farm 37, near Walvis Bay, from relocating.

Located about 7 kilometres east of Walvis Bay, Farm 37 was identified in 2015 as a solution to the land and housing backlog.

The Walvis Bay Municipality has allocated erven at Farm 37, on the outskirts of the town, to the first 50 landless people.

The Mayor has urged the first beneficiaries to start building their structures as of today.

Another group of landless residents at Walvis Bay have expressed frustration to the council over the slow pace of delivering serviced plots to them.

About N$300 million is needed to service Farm 37.

This is according to Municipal Councillor Victor Leroy, who has emphasized that there is no serviced land available in Walvis Bay to sell to landless residents. 

Farm 37 has divided the Walvis Bay Council, with Swapo councillors slamming the decision to relocate people to the area, which has limited services installed.

Although there are only communal services at Farm 37, on the outskirts of Walvis Bay, residents there have been urged to focus on the fact that they will soon become landowners.

Walvis Bay Mayor Trevino Forbes says there is enough land in the new township for all residents.