Allexer Namundjebo
Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) Member of Parliament Inna Hengari is demanding answers from minister of urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa over the government’s failure to implement a rent control board.
Hengari said the proposed board, first announced years ago to regulate rental markets and protect tenants, remains non-functional.
“Without proper implementation, the board remains a symbolic gesture, offering no real protection for struggling tenants,” she said.
She wants to know what has delayed the board’s rollout, why it is not operational, and why no members have been appointed to enforce regulations.
In 2023, then minister of urban Erastus Uutoni said the government was consulting experts to improve the rent control bill, which would establish the rent control board.
The aim was to ease rental costs and address tenant complaints.
The initial rent control board was announced in 2018 by then minister of industrialisation, trade and SME Development, Tjekero Tweya. It was supposed to comprise 25 members, five each in Oshakati, Rundu, Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, and Windhoek.
A month later, the board was reported inactive, leaving tenants exposed to abusive practices.
This week, Hengari raised concerns about the broader housing and rental crisis.
She said the national housing backlog has reached over 300,000 units, allowing landlords to demand high rents.
She referred to figures from January showing that two-bedroom rental prices grew by 14.7% in the second quarter of 2024, up from 11.6% in the first quarter.
This was the highest increase among all segments.
According to FNB Namibia’s Rent Price Index, the average rent stood at N$7,348 on a 12-month rolling basis, with two-bedroom units driving the growth.
Hengari said tenants, especially in urban areas, are spending a large share of their income on rent.
She said low- and middle-income households are the most affected and criticised the government for not acting fast enough as housing pressures grow.
Hengari said the current rent ordinance 13 of 1977 is outdated. She called for changes, saying penalties like the N$200 fine are too low to stop violations.
She pointed to section 25(2) of the ordinance, which requires landlords to keep tenant deposits in interest-bearing accounts.
“Landlords are not returning deposits or are withholding them unfairly,” she said.
She asked what the ministry is doing to enforce this rule.
She also questioned the long-standing absence of functional rent boards.
“These boards have been largely non-functional since 1990/1991, leaving tenants unprotected in an unregulated market,” she said.
She wants Cabinet to act and restore these boards, especially in high-demand areas like Khomas and Erongo.
Sankwasa is expected to respond to Hengari’s questions in Parliament on 4 September 2025.
