Niël Terblanché
Beneficiaries of the Mass Housing Development Programme in Swakopmund were delighted to receive their new homes after a delay of seven years.
Erastus Uutoni, the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, officially handed over 108 government-funded houses to their rightful owners and said that all Namibians deserve decent shelter
“This is a memorable milestone for this specific project which was at a standstill for a long time. It is yet another demonstration of the continued efforts of the Government towards creating more opportunities for decent shelter for our people,” he said.
The project has been halted for close to seven years because of issues with the contracts for the mass housing project that the government awarded to various construction companies.
After lengthy deliberations and court battles, the project was successfully handed over to New Era Construction Company late last year to complete 319 houses.
The minister said that the remaining 208 houses are currently being completed.
“New Era Construction is attending to the matter and is finalizing issues such as plumbing and electrical works.
“Our chances for greater success in our quest to achieve our national aspirations and goals such as housing require unity of purpose and collaboration between the Government at all levels, members of the community, the private sector notably the construction industry and financial institutions as well as non-governmental partners,” he said.
Uutoni warned companies that tender for projects but do not intend to deliver as expected.
“I wish to address the issue of delays in the execution and completion of national projects. The actions of some private contractors, who tender for and get work opportunities from the Government but do not honour their contractual obligations in completing projects on time and on budget, resulting in cost increases and unwarranted blame on the government while the fault is actually on the part of the defaulting contractors. This is unacceptable and I am calling for stern action against such contractors including black-listing them,” he warned.
He said that decent shelter is a basic necessity of life and added that unity is the key to realizing national goals.
The Erongo Regional Governor, Neville Andre pointed out that the region is still dealing with a huge housing backlog.
“However, these little steps of housing delivery bring a huge relief to the housing backlog and a smile to the beneficiaries, who finally have a place they can call home,” he said.
According to the governor, New Era Investment received the tender to complete the 319 houses in October 2022 and said that the remaining 208 houses are expected to be completed soon.
“I must commend the contractor for the speedy delivery of these houses, because two weeks ago, during my State of the Region Address, I said 64 houses would be handed over today, but they did a good job and we are handing over 108 houses,” he said.
Andre thanked the government and the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development for bringing about the revival of the mass housing project.
“My appreciation also goes out to the Municipality of Swakopmund and the National Housing Enterprise for the role they have played in making this day a reality,” he said.
Andre urged the beneficiaries of the Mass Housing Development Programme to take care of their new properties.
