By: Hee-Dee Walenga
In the last decade, Keetmanshoop has recorded 823 land-related transactions at a total market value of N$444 million.
According to the data compiled by the former president of the Namibia Institute of Town & Regional Planning, Francisco Neshila Ulwazi.
Ulwazi provided insight on Eagle FM’s Land and Property Development Show last weekend, which zoomed into the land and property development environment of the town of Keetmanshoop.
Founded in 1846, Keetmanshoop was established as a trading hub and named after Johann Keetman, a German industrialist.
According to the Namibia Statistics Agency, Keetmanshoop, the capital of the ǁKharas region, has a population of 36,606.
Keetmans has undergone recent developments, with the establishment of various educational institutions.
This includes a University of Namibia (UNAM) campus, a Namibia Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT) campus, and a vocational training center from the Namibia Training Authority (NTA), which has attracted a number of young students and professionals.
“The economy of Keetmanshoop is growing extensively,” Neshila stated.
In the last decade, Keetmanshoop has recorded 823 land related transactions at a total market value of N$444 million, according to the data compiled by Neshila’s proprietary ‘Ulwazi’ software.
The main driver of these transactions is the suburb of Tseiblaagte with 674 transactions, of which the majority were the acquisition of vacant plots. Krönlein recorded 50 transactions in the 10 years.
Keetmanshoop has recorded 13 transactions so far in 2026. The median area size of these transactions is 611 square meters, with an average price of N$500,000 at N$500 per square meter. For comparison, Windhoek is in the N$700 – N$1000 per square meter range.
Keetmanshoop has averaged two township establishments in the last five years. “This means that we are looking at around 350 to 700 new land parcels that are coming to the market,” Neshila stated.
In line with NDP6, Keetmanshoop has also begun servicing 2,000 land parcels.
He added that “there’s going to be massive transactions for Keetmans starting early next year,” underlining that the current low figures regarding land and property transactions in the area will significantly increase.
“The data will look similar to Swakopmund and Oshakati,” Neshila predicted.
PROJECTED GROWTH
Neshila also pointed to the need for servicing to the Neckartal Dam as a trigger point for the growth of Keetmanshoop, as well as providing inland services to Lüderitz, another town expected to grow in the near future.
“When we look at the data, Keetmans has a steep curve of growth in terms of development, and it is looking very positive,” he noted, attributing the growth in part to the 2,000 land parcels that are currently being developed and serviced.
“A lot of people are going to build houses,” Neshila explained while urging retailers and suppliers to appropriately stock themselves for the next two years, which in turn would suppress the development cost.
“I foresee that by the end of the year, we could easily reach 7,000 serviced land parcels,” Neshila stated.
“The property sector development will grow, but very much in the lower bracket until such time that we have a sufficient middle class that is going to come in with high-end earnings,” he added.
