Omashaka must be rezoned correctly

ONDANGWA – Ondangwa City Council has proposed to decompartmentalize Omashaka's informal settlement to allow it to separate the residential erven from the commercial lands.

At the present time, there is no distinction between the two, as the area reserved for residential areas is dominated by shebeens. The rezoning will thus pave the way for the city council to identify and establish a formal activity sector.
The status quo in Omashaka disadvantages homeowners, especially schoolchildren, as the area is highly polluted by noise, leaving them without a place to study.

The proposal to rezone Omashaka was made at a recent council meeting.
Counselors therefore proposed to conduct an investigation to determine the number of shebeen currently in Omashaka.
To give an overview of the situation in Omashaka, the head of the Infrastructure, Planning and Technical Services Department, Petrus Shipanga, said the number of shebeens was currently higher than the number of homes.

To add salt to the wound, Shipanga said that some people had come to drop the devils in Omashaka, but did not live there in the city itself.

"The majority of the population does not need housing, so those who really need it are abandoned," Shipanga said.

Although councilors initially suggested that the council stop allocating commercial land in the area, the mayor of the city, Paavo Amwele, said that it was important that the council allow its residents to get out of poverty.

He added that council should also be aware that new entrepreneurs can not afford commercial land already used elsewhere in the city.

"We can get them business plots away from homes. However, we must not deprive our people of the opportunity to earn an income, "said Amwele.

Nuusita Ashipala
2018-11-28 10:13:57 3 hours ago