Tujoromajo Kasuto
The National Housing Enterprise (NHE) has called on Windhoek residents living in the informal areas to register for the construction of affordable houses, on Saturday, 13 August 2022.
The Informal Settlement Upgrading project is an initiative of the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni, in conjunction with the City of Windhoek (COW), NHE and the Khomas Regional Council.
The initiative has constructed close to 400 houses since its inception in 2020.
The NHE team will be stationed at Stop and Shop in Okuryangava, Katutura, from 08h00 to 12h00.
According to NHE spokesperson Tuafi Shafombabi prospective clients should be title deed owners, belong to a group with title deeds, lease agreement holders and beneficiaries can use Co- applicants (Only residents with full municipal services).
The documentations required for registration are title deeds, lease agreements, certified
copies of identity documents, certified copies of marriage certificate Ante – Nuptial Contract, latest payslip/s or proof of income /declaration from the Police, specifying source of income and customers are also welcome to apply at the NHE Offices in Katutura and the City of Windhoek Head Office,’’ she stated.
This comes after the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, Khomas Regional Council, Municipal Council of Windhoek and the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) entered into an
MoU for the construction of 1,200 Affordable Housing Units in the low-income areas of Windhoek.
The Municipality of Windhoek and NHE are the implementing agents responsible for the construction of 600 houses each.
The agreed duration of the project as set out in the MoU is two (2) years.
According to the City of Windhoek Mayor Sade Gawanes the delays in the commencement of construction and complications related to COVID-19, resulted in the extension of the project completion date.
‘’From the given total of 600 houses, the municipality constructed and handed over 320 Affordable Houses. The project is ongoing and the new completion date is set for 30 November 2022,’’ she said recently at a media briefing.
Areas where construction of housing units will take place are the Onyika Informal Settlement (Okuryangava), Freedom Land A and B Informal Settlement (Okuryangava), Havana Township, and formal sites in Goreangab, Otjomuise and Katutura.
The NHE project areas are Greenwell Matongo D. Commencement of the Council Housing Project in October 2021 via Resolution 217/10/2021, Council adopted the Affordable Housing Policy as its policy guide in housing, said the Mayor.
Further to the above and due to mainly a housing crisis which was exacerbated by the lack of investor appetite in affordable housing, Council resolved to enter into the Affordable Housing Market and started with the actual construction of houses through a programme to be known as the Windhoek Housing Programme (WHP).
‘’To test the concept, the Council in April 2022, identified eight (8) un-serviced erven and commenced with servicing the erven which was completed in June 2022. The construction of affordable housing units is scheduled to start in August 2022 and anticipated completion is six
(6) weeks after commencement. The servicing of eight (8) erven, marked the start of the Windhoek Housing Project. Beneficiaries of the project will be sourced from the land and housing waiting lists,’’ Gawanes said.
