28 houses handed over - nine years down the line
After nine years of cooperation between a political party and the government to tackle housing needs, 28 newly built houses were handed over on Friday.Since 2015, the upgrading project for informal settlements (ISU) has been led by the head of the Affirmative Reposition (AR), Job Amupanda, and the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development. The project aims to alleviate housing shortages and improve living conditions.
On Friday, 28 of the 113 newly built two-bedroom houses in Goreangab Extension 4 in Windhoek were finally handed over.
Amupanda expressed mixed feelings during the handover, noting that although the process took a long time, it was worth it.
The beneficiaries include civil servants from various ministries - some of which allege to have waited five years since they applied for the houses.
The City of Windhoek (CoW) advertised the housing application in print media and via radio broadcasts, specifically aimed at beneficiaries in the public service.
The National Housing Enterprise (NHE) has registered around 400 applicants.
Advantages
The houses are built at a cost of about N$395 000, of which the government covers a subsidy of 70% and the beneficiary the remaining 30%. This amounts to approximately N$1 800 per month for a two-bedroom house.
Junias Alugodhi (26), one of the beneficiaries who works in the health sector, expressed his thanks at the handover. "Now they will know where to knock, unlike in a 'shack' where you have to knock everywhere until you find the person," he said.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni, requested the public to recognise the collaborative contributions and community initiatives driven by the Namibian government. "It's the government's mandate to ensure that every Namibian has a safe place they can call home."
Since the ISU project was launched, 694 houses have been handed over to residents of Windhoek's informal settlements and other parts of the country.