The Affirmative Repositioning (AR) wants Namibians living in the informal settlement to be included in the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) pension-backed home loan scheme.
AR spokesperson George Kambala said this in a statement on Friday.
He was responding to the fund’s announcement on Friday morning that the scheme will commence on Monday, representing a historic and transformative milestone in Namibia’s housing journey.
“However, as AR, we must speak with both honesty and compassion. While this scheme brings real relief and hope to thousands, the majority of Namibians living in informal settlements remain excluded from formal pension systems and conventional housing finance,” Kambala ssid.
These, he says, are the workers of the informal economy, the unemployed youth, the elderly and underprivileged working citizens whose dignity is no less deserving of protection.
“This moment must, therefore, serve as a springboard for broader, inclusive housing reform that accelerates the delivery of serviced land, supports incremental and self-built housing, expands low-cost and community-based housing finance and upgrades informal settlements with urgency, respect and human dignity,” he said.
Kambala believes the same innovation and political will demonstrated through the scheme must now be extended to the landless, the unemployed, informal workers and those trapped in generational poverty.
In acknowledging the announcement, Kambala said for the first time, government employees are empowered to access their pensions to buy, build or renovate their homes, converting years of disciplined public service into tangible security, stability and dignity.
This policy intervention, he adds, acknowledges a simple but powerful truth.
“Those who have served the nation deserve a place to call home,” he said.
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