By: Hee-Dee Walenga
Using data compiled by the AI-powered Ulwazi Africa, Eagle FM’s Ulwazi radio show revealed that since 2016, Tsumeb has recorded 643 land and property transactions with a total value of N$436.2 million, a reflection of the low overall economic activity in the area.
Neshila, a renowned town planner and urbanist, painted a somber picture of Tsumeb’s land and property transactions over the last decade.
For reference, Oshakati and Ondangwa totaled N$2.8 billion and N$1.1 billion in the same recording period.
Keetmanshoop, whose population is similar to that of Tsumeb, recorded a total of N$444 million from 823 land and property transactions in the same period.
The median price for a home in Tsumeb is N$481,000, which is relatively low compared to the national average of N$1.5 million that was reported by the latest FNB Namibia House Price Index Report.
“What is being experienced now in Tsumeb is that a lot of the properties are vacant. The people that are staying in those vacant properties are purely caretakers. There is no rental market,” he said.
Neshila attributed Tsumeb’s low numbers to high unemployment and general low economic activity.
“Those who have bought properties, they are really struggling because the mine has shut down and has let go of a lot of people,” he explained.
He added that a large portion of employment in Tsumeb consists of seasonal workers.
“Most of the seasonal workers are harvesting mangoes, and they are trading mangoes at the informal market. That is basically what is keeping Tsumeb alive at the moment,” the former President of the Namibia Institute of Town & Regional Planning stated.
He also stated that the town never recovered after the administrative functions of the Oshikoto region were moved from Tsumeb to Omuthiya.
Neshila called for a thorough study to be conducted by the local authority to determine what initiatives can fully unlock the potential that the central northern town has.
Neshila said that, “We need proper research so that we can dissect what the serious matters are, where the opportunities are, so that the local authority can focus its infrastructure in that space.”
He, however, cautioned that if housing affordability factors are ignored, the new developments will result in white elephants.
Tsumeb has recorded six development applications for 2026, according to Neshila. Of the 643 transactions referenced earlier, only 2 have occurred in 2026 thus far.
