KEETMANSHOOP residents living in the “reception area” in the Ileni informal settlement no longer have to go to the bush to relieve themselves.

The mayor of the town, Moses Titus, yesterday handed over six toilets built at a cost of N$100 000 to close to 40 households who were moved to the reception area from municipal plots they had illegally occupied.

Saying that the ‘reception area’ was only a temporary solution to the problem of illegal squatting, Titus urged the people to strive towards owning decent houses.

“I am encouraging you to apply for low-cost housing under the Building Together Programme,” he told the beneficiaries.

Titus also reminded the residents that “there is no such thing as free land”, adding that the council was in the process of establishing a second informal settlement to address the housing needs of the poor.

Speaking out against the racially motivated violence allegedly happening in the reception area, Titus said: “We all are Namibians. We must live in harmony and peace.”

The council also set up new street lights in the area.