Windhoek — The National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) congress last weekend resolved to ask Government to include urban land in its national land reform strategy.

The congress discussed many basic issues including town lands as dictated by its theme "Back to Basics".

Part of the congress resolutions addressed the ever-contentious land issue, with the union calling on Government to include urban land under the land reform strategy.

Newly-elected NUNW President, Elias Manga, said the land reform strategy must not only focus or be driven by agricultural resettlement.

"It must, as a matter of urgency, also be directed to address the need for urban land among indigenous Namibians," Manga said at a media briefing yesterday.

The union resolved that the entire land regime be overhauled, as it does not adequately address the needs of the landless majority.

Many a times, poor Namibians with no means are resettled on agricultural land, doing virtually no productive farming and reducing them to farm labourers on neighbouring farms.

This leaves the question whether all landless people need land for agricultural purposes or a place to build a house.

Thousands of Namibians illegally squat on town lands in urban areas, because they cannot afford to buy land.

The same goes for low-income to middle-income workers, who cannot build houses because land is too expensive to buy in urban areas. This results in workers not owning houses and renting houses forever.

Manga said the need for housing among union members and the population in general is critical and must be addressed if Namibia is serious about true development and the empowerment of its people.

"In view of this, congress called for the full utilisation of GIPF and the Social Security Commission monies to help build and buy decent houses for the workers who are the real owners of the money," Manga stated.

In addition, the congress wants commercial banks to urgently change rules, which makes it impossible for citizens to buy houses and thereby remove all artificial factors in the price regimes for housing and repayment.

Owning a house in Namibia is expensive, as just land alone in cities such as Windhoek can cost up to N$300000 and N$1 million, depending on where one wants to build a house.

Hence a low-to middle-income earner, who might only qualify for a N$300000 housing loan from a commercial bank, can only afford to buy the land, but cannot build the house due to costs.