The Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni, has handed over 108 houses under the Government-funded Mass Housing Development Programme in Swakopmund.
The handover of the initial houses comes after a delay of more than seven years due to a contractor dispute.
“This is a commendable milestone in this specific project, which was at a standstill for a long time, and it is yet another demonstration of the Government’s continued efforts towards creating more opportunities for decent shelter for our people,” Uutoni said.
However, the minister called for stern action to be taken against contractors who fail to deliver government projects on time.
“I wish to address the issue of delays in the execution and completion of national projects, such as this, specifically actions of some private contractors who tender for and get work opportunities from the Government but do not honor their contractual obligations in completing projects on time and on budget. This results in an increase in costs and unwarranted blame on the Government, while the fault actually lies with the defaulting contractors. This is unacceptable, and I am calling for stern action against such contractors, including blacklisting them,” he said.
Uutoni urged the beneficiaries to honor their loan repayments to enable others to benefit from the initiative.
“You have an important role to play in complementing and helping the Government create opportunities for other needy Namibians by promptly honoring your home loan repayment obligations. The money that you are paying back on time will be used to build houses for your fellow Namibians. I urge your cooperation in this regard,” he said.
The remaining 208 houses are yet to be completed as the new contractor is attending to the finishing touches, such as plumbing and electrical works.
According to the Association of Local Authorities in Namibia (ALAN), Namibia requires about 50,000 housing units to be constructed countrywide in the next 10 years to solve the country’s housing crisis.
