This study suggests an investigation on the problem of urbanisation and shack dwelling in Namibia. A case of
the City of Windhoek has been used. Findings in most literature led to unemployment as a major cause of
urbanisation in Namibia. This study has probed the migrants’ (men and women) interest in urban life. The
research question is: Do the rural-urban migrants feel like citizens of the city or town? The study pursues the
main objective of investigating the relationship between personal interests and housing demands of ruralurban
migrants in the City of Windhoek. It was hypothesised that immigrants to the City of Windhoek feel
like transient residents rather than citizens, and as a consequence take no responsibility for their surroundings
including buying formal houses. These phenomena could be the causes of various social problems such as
shack-dwelling, crime and insanitation in Namibia’s urban areas.