Helmsman defies Uutoni’s directive
KENYA KAMBOWE
RUNDU
Construction company refuses to hand over plansThe property developer Helmsman Group has ignored an ultimatum by the urban and rural development minister for handing over the technical drawings of a troubled housing scheme.
The Helmsman Group, owned by Chinese-born businesswoman Stina Wu, has defied an order by urban and rural development minister Erastus Uutoni to submit the drawings for a housing project at Rundu that was completed in 2013.
Wu’s company has been withholding the plans for the past eight years.
The housing project in question is Rainbow Village at Rundu, which comprises of 50 houses.
Uutoni’s directive followed his visit to the town last Wednesday, after recent media reports about problems with overflowing sewers at Rainbow Village.
Uutoni gave an ultimatum that was supposed to be carried out before 16:00 that day.
So far, Helmsman has given no signal that it will respond to Uutoni’s directive.
Rundu council CEO Olavi Nathanael said yesterday that they had not received the drawings from Helmsman Group as ordered by the minister.
Nathanael said at one point he was informed by Helmsman Group that the person who drew the building plans was overseas and they could not trace him.
That was not what Helmsman managing partner Chris Shivolo had told the minister last week, though.
Shivolo told Uutoni that the drawings were at their headquarters in Windhoek.
Neither Shivolo nor Uutoni was available for comment yesterday.
Never handed over
The minister was dismayed with the fact that the project, which was completed eight years ago, was never handed over to the local council and that the local authority is not in possession of the plans.
The as-built drawings are crucial to the local authority as they show whether the contractor complied with the approved building plans.
The Rundu town council has been struggling to secure the Rainbow Village drawings for years, which has resulted in the council withholding the project’s completion certificate.
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RUNDU
Construction company refuses to hand over plansThe property developer Helmsman Group has ignored an ultimatum by the urban and rural development minister for handing over the technical drawings of a troubled housing scheme.
The Helmsman Group, owned by Chinese-born businesswoman Stina Wu, has defied an order by urban and rural development minister Erastus Uutoni to submit the drawings for a housing project at Rundu that was completed in 2013.
Wu’s company has been withholding the plans for the past eight years.
The housing project in question is Rainbow Village at Rundu, which comprises of 50 houses.
Uutoni’s directive followed his visit to the town last Wednesday, after recent media reports about problems with overflowing sewers at Rainbow Village.
Uutoni gave an ultimatum that was supposed to be carried out before 16:00 that day.
So far, Helmsman has given no signal that it will respond to Uutoni’s directive.
Rundu council CEO Olavi Nathanael said yesterday that they had not received the drawings from Helmsman Group as ordered by the minister.
Nathanael said at one point he was informed by Helmsman Group that the person who drew the building plans was overseas and they could not trace him.
That was not what Helmsman managing partner Chris Shivolo had told the minister last week, though.
Shivolo told Uutoni that the drawings were at their headquarters in Windhoek.
Neither Shivolo nor Uutoni was available for comment yesterday.
Never handed over
The minister was dismayed with the fact that the project, which was completed eight years ago, was never handed over to the local council and that the local authority is not in possession of the plans.
The as-built drawings are crucial to the local authority as they show whether the contractor complied with the approved building plans.
The Rundu town council has been struggling to secure the Rainbow Village drawings for years, which has resulted in the council withholding the project’s completion certificate.
[email protected]
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