Swakopmund Mayor Dina Namubes has highlighted residential land access as the biggest barrier to home ownership not only in Swakopmund, but in the entire Namibia.
The mayor was speaking on Friday at the ground-breaking ceremony of Phase 3 of the Build Together programme, where the construction of 80 houses is anticipated in Swakopmund’s Mondesa Extension 7.
The houses are part of the 150 erven approved by the council for the programme in 2017, from which 70 were already constructed.
According to the Namubes, Council experienced delays in the construction of the remaining 80 houses due to the cumbersome Procurement Act requirements and high construction costs as quoted by contractors.
“As a result, we had to obtain ministerial approval from the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development to exempt the Build Together programme from that procurement, until a suitable contractor was found. After several consultations and requests for quotations, it was resolved that beneficiaries find their own contactors, who will then be vetted by Engineering and Planning Services for eligibility prior to constructing the houses,” the mayor noted.
She added that the houses will all be contracted to a value of N.dollars 80 000, which each beneficiary will treat as a loan to be paid back in instalments.
The contractors, represented by Herberth Aebeb, expressed their commitment to complete the project with the limited resources at their disposal.
“We would like, through this project, for the Swakopmund Municipality to put us on testing ground and consider us whenever this type of work is available as we do not concentrate much on making money, but more on availing ourselves and assisting the affected communities,” Aebeb noted.
The contractors made a commitment to complete the project within five months.
The beneficiaries through Janet Frederiks could not contain their joy and gratitude, with some noting that their journeys to acquiring their own homes date back as far as 2005.
“Most of our compatriots are no longer here with us to finally witness this great milestone, but we should applaud the government and more especially the Swakopmund Municipality for availing this portion of land for us to build our own dwellings.”
Source: The Namibian Press Agency