Municipality to relocate 43 households from Havana intersection
Plans are at an advanced stage to provide full services
Windhoek plans to relocate households and a church at the busy Matshitshi and Eneas Peter Nanyemba intersection in Havana to serviced plots in Havana Extensions 8 and 11.
The City of Windhoek has announced that 43 households and a church, currently located at the Matshitshi and Eneas Peter Nanyemba intersection in Havana, will be relocated between 1 and 31 October 2025.The move, according to the City, forms part of its broader effort to formalise informal settlements and improve urban infrastructure.
A public statement issued on 19 September 2025 confirmed that affected residents will be allocated serviced plots in the newly established Havana Extensions 8 and 11.
“These townships are already serviced with communal water points and toilets, while bulk electrical infrastructure is currently under construction to enable the installation of street lighting.
To improve accessibility during the rainy season, culverts will be constructed in advance. Furthermore, under the Informal Settlement Upgrading Project, plans are at an advanced stage to provide full services, including individual water and sewer connections, as well as roads and stormwater infrastructure,” the statement read.
Creating space
The City emphasised that the relocation is necessary to allow for roadworks and bulk water pipeline construction at the busy intersection, which is expected to ease traffic congestion. The move will also create space for the development of a new community market and a taxi rank, providing formal trading areas for vendors currently operating within the road reserve.
Local activist Shaun Gariseb welcomed the consultation process, describing the relocation as a “well-planned and inclusive process”.
“The City of Windhoek and those involved must be applauded for the smooth negotiations with residents and the well-explained relocation plan. I hope the needs of those being relocated will be prioritised. There are about 54 000 households in informal settlements in Windhoek, and with collective will, this relocation can serve as a yardstick for future upgrades,” Gariseb said.
Gariseb also stressed the importance of linking the relocation to the City’s Urban Development Plan 2027, while urging clarity on how the estimated N$3 billion required for informal settlement upgrades will be used.
“Currently, the City’s Urban Development Plan of 2027 doesn’t delve deep into how they want to go about the informal settlement upgrade or how they plan to use the supposed N$3 billion needed.
“We are in liaison with the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development and have a proposal ready should the City fail to provide an action plan before 31 October 2025, as directed by the line ministry,” Gariseb added.