Nautilus and NHE residents outraged about Area 7 Road paving project

Residents of Nautilus and NHE suburbs in Lüderitz are opposing a proposal from Area 7 residents to have the gravel road in their area paved. 

“I am a rates and tax payer who resides on School Street and have suffered for 42 years. The dust is unbearable. NHE has been going for 30 years now with gravel roads. That's not right. The council has been making promises since 2014 and now suddenly sees the need to have the Area 7 Road paved. This is blatant discrimination and not fair," Anna Bostander told councillors and town council officials at a community meeting called by the mayor of the harbour town, Brigitte Fredericks, to provide feedback on budgeted capital projects for 2026/2027 and identify the needs of the community for the next five years.

In the pipeline - The envisioned project entails the construction of a 3140m heavy-duty interlocking block paved road with full stormwater drainage, 10 000 square meters of pedestrian sidewalks, a formal bus stop with shelters, road signs, markings and speed bumps at all junctions.      

According to Mayor Fredericks, Area 7 community members had put forward a proposal to have the gravel road in their area paved. The Lüderitz Town Council (LTC) submitted an application to the Road Fund Administration (RFA) requesting N$36,500,000 to fund the project in April 2026. Community members residing in Nautilus and Area 7 called on LTC to ensure that the paving of roads in Nautilus and NHE be prioritised and suggested that transport companies should rather be approached to interlock the Area 7 Road.

Health and safety concerns – In motivating the Area 7 Road Paving Project, LTC stated that dust clouds affect homes and the health of residents while the road floods and becomes inaccessible after rains. There is also a safety concern involving children walking alongside trucks on the road while commuters wait in the road for transportation.

The way forward - Once the RFA approves the funding, LTC will advertise for construction companies to submit prices, and the work will be awarded to the best qualifying bid. The construction process is expected to commence in 2027 and will run for 12 months. An estimated 80 to 100 residents will be employed directly on the project.

“It's a strategic road linked to the industrial areas. We do not want trucks moving around in or passing through residential areas. Lüderitz is growing, and that particular road will be developed to be a strategic roadway. It will be used by almost everyone who lives here in the near future,” Austin Mubiana, the acting CEO of the Lüderitz Town Council, explained.