Human Settlements Review - Parliamentary Monitoring Group

Human Settlements Review, Volume 1, Number 1, 2010
They often have a one-dimensional view or too
many other important priorities, which require
their attention. During the 2008 Windhoek
sanitation policy workshop, several gaps and
challenges were identified, which can be
applied to other areas too, such as it is easy to
write the policy, but it is difficult to implement
the policy effectively, as it
• requires political will,
• requires coordination,
• requires understanding of principles,
and
• requires institutions to assume duties
or responsibilities.
Alternatives need to be incorporated in formal
education, ranging from vocational training
to tertiary institutions. The Ugandan Minister
Mutagamba (2004:9) acknowledges that,
politicians have to carry out advocacy work,
however “we also need to be trained for
that, we need information that will help us
sensitise the masses out there”. Education
and acceptance of alternatives go hand in
hand. During field work, in connection with
the implementation of the national sanitation
strategy, school teachers requested more
literature on alternative sanitation, as the
available school books did not provide the
necessary details.
8.2 Opportunities
The two major phases of construction has one
aspect in common: at the end of each phase
there was still money available, despite that
fact that the HRDC is a government funded
project and experienced bureaucratic delays.
The reason is simple: the team involved
constantly looked for resources, which could
be used. When the municipality demolished a
flat building, contacts were made to enquire
about the fate of the materials, e.g. building
rubble, window and doorframes. The latter
two were to be kept in store for a community
project, whereas the rubble was to be dumped
at a landfill site, as it was regarded as useless
waste. Cooperating with the municipal
department and the contractor the rubble was
transported to the HRDC site, where it was
reused in gabions and cement bricks were
reused in walls. Similarly when a service
station was built close to the site the natural
stone (mica) left from the excavations for the
petrol tanks were brought to the HRDC site –
all free of charge.
When the construction of the HRDC started,
the municipality issued a directive that all
old tyres had to be transported to the main
landfill site, where a fee of R7.50 per tyre was
charged. This resulted in many tyres were
disposed in the veld around Windhoek. When
the HRDC offered to take the tyres free of
charge, hundreds were delivered to the site.
They were incorporated in the construction of
retaining walls, and buildings such as walls for
storerooms and the double garage. Farmers in
the southern parts of Namibia provided sheep
wool, Grade 3, which was regarded as useless
due its poor quality, but it was utilised in the
construction as an insulating material between
the roof sheets and the ceiling.
The question could be asked: what is the value
of alternatives Alternatives provide choices,
they can support efforts of employment creation,
they can utilise locally available materials.
Most governments are interested in creating
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