| Havana-Windhoek | |
| Type: | suburb |
| Other Name: | Havana informal settlement |
| Pushpin Map: | Namibia |
| Coordinates: | -22.5119°N 17.0326°W |
| Named For: | Capital city of Cuba |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Namibia |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Khomas Region |
| Subdivision Type2: | City |
| Subdivision Name2: | Windhoek, Namibia |
Havana is a suburb of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. It is one of the most impoverished informal settlements in Windhoek. Havana is located northwest of Windhoek, in the Khomas region.[1] It was named after the capital city of Cuba.[2] It was established about two decades ago when the City of Windhoek experienced a high rate of urbanisation due to many people travelling to the capital city for a better way of living and for employment purposes.[3]
There are two schools in the area: Havana Secondary Project School and Havana Primary School. Havana Usave Shoprite is another notable place that exists in the area. There is also a dumping site in the Havana informal settlement.[4]
Approximately 400 people living in this settlement do not own any land and they are renting.[5] People from this area want their own land since they are living in overcrowded conditions, which robs them of their rights to live in a safe environment, as well as the right to health and protection. There is a scarcity of water electricity and few toilets in the settlement which people share.[6] [7] The residents of Havana have been living with water scarcity since a pre-paid water tap was damaged in mid-December 2018, which serves about 253 households in the area.[8] [9] Since there is no electricity in the area, residents connect the electricity illegally.[10] "The Namibian" reported on Wednesday 2014 that about 150 illegal electrical connections in Havana were disconnected by the city of Windhoek.
There is a well known worldplace in this suburb called Havana four way whereby many street vendors of Havana sell their goods.[11] [12] It's proposed that very soon the place will be provided with traffic lights.[13]
Havana is one of the settlements with a high crime rate.[14] The settlement has a high crime rate partially because too many shacks and households lack electricity, thus making it easy for criminals to carry out their activities.[15]