Walvis Bay, Namibia - (1 of 3)

(10 videos)
While attempting to compare our last visit in 2023 to today, sadly we find Namibia suffers from severe inequality: ranking as the second most unequal country in the world (only behind South Africa) with the wealth heavily concentrated among top earners while the majority sees little of it with 28.3% of the population lives below the poverty line. In addition, about 71% of the population of 3 million are under the age of 35 and of these 2+ million youngsters, over 1 million are unemployed. The country has been downgraded to a lower-middle-income economy.

Over 43% of Namibians face multidimensional poverty, meaning they lack basic access to healthcare, clean sanitation, proper housing, and quality education. Sadly, the rich get richer and a few industries have all the wealth (oil & gas). The good news is that to cope with rapid economic growth, Walvis Bay was granted direct "authorized planning authority". Unlike in 2023 when land developments required lengthy ministerial approval from Windhoek, the local Walvis Bay Town Council can now fast-track zoning, boundary adjustments, and township creations independently. The rush for jobs in the offshore oil and green hydrogen sectors has caused a massive population spike, with the city's population climbing well past 100,000.

Traditional apartment rentals are largely UNaffordable for average citizens, as local banks enforce standard 30% affordability limits on stagnating local salaries. Over 31,000 residents now live in informal “backyard” housing. A recent municipal audit identified roughly 23,000 backyard shacks housing over 42,000 people in one town, meaning nearly 40% of the town relies on informal, shared accommodations.

For the low-income and impoverished residents of Walvis Bay, life has become significantly harder since 2023. The economic boom driven by oil exploration and green hydrogen has created a harsh "two-tier" economy. While high earners thrive, the poorest residents are facing an unprecedented survival crisis marked by extreme rent inflation, overcrowding, and malnutrition. Daily life for impoverished residents has deteriorated since 2023 due to several key factors: the sudden influx of corporate energy executives and specialized workers has caused local landlords to prioritize high-paying tenants, because formal housing is out of reach, thousands of poor families are forced to rent tiny backyard shacks and to make matters worse, the municipal council introduced a controversial new shack "ghetto tax" that penalizes impoverished people for the city's inability to provide affordable land. (It is now common for a single residential property to hold dozens of people living in cramped, interconnected wooden and corrugated iron shacks with an increased number of fires/floods). Severe local food insecurity with a high rate of children and elderly residents dying from malnutrition.

All this information was shared at the end of our tour or it surely would have altered our day and enjoyment that we experienced.

We were in Walvis Bay 3/31/23 -. 4/1/23 for 2 days with 6 posts: https://findpenguins.com/bruce-loves-to-travel/….
The visit in 2023 focused on history, and the way of life here, with beautiful homes on the beach and then onto Germantown but we also visited a working-class residential district in the Mondesa Township and a visit to a family to see how they lived, learn about family life and a visit to the home and office of a traditional herbalist. A memorable stop was a restaurant, that was a converted garage, to listen to some traditional African music and eat original Walvis Bay “treats” (worms).

THIS trip we decided to go for “a joy ride”. We learned about how they get salt from the ocean and stopped to see it in action, saw the flamingos and then went to the pink beach on the way to the dunes. THEN THE FUN STARTED (see photos and videos).

We learned all about the fascinating business of Salt Production. Walvis Bay Salt Refiners are the largest solar sea salt producer in Africa pumping Atlantic seawater through a 11,100 acres of artificial ponds, relying on the region's sun and wind to naturally evaporate the water and crystalize the salt. The chemical-free process:
Pumping: Seawater from the lagoon at a rate of 65,000 gallons per minute.
Evaporation: Natural wind/heat gradually increase the salt concentration (algae turns pink).
Crystallization: Brine reaches density of 25% NaCl and moved to shallow ponds to evaporate.
Harvesting: Salt builds a crust reaching 5” thick and mechanical harvesters scrape it.
Washing: Raw salt is washed with concentrated seawater and gypsum to dissolve and remove impurities.
Drying and Shipping: Pure salt is stockpiled, dried, and transported. It is sold and exported 1.2 million tons a year worldwide.Read more