Mass housing back on radar

Government is currently in the process of refining its previously exorbitant mass housing project, which was put on ice in 2015, according to urban and rural development ministry executive director Nghidinua Daniel. The mandate for the project was taken away from the National Housing Enterprise during that year, and now resides with the ministry. However, there has been no movement on the project which had intended to build 185 000 affordable houses by 2030. The N$45 billion programme was launched by former president Hifikepunye Pohamba in late November 2013. The project was, however, put on ice by President Hage Geingob after it was discovered that some contractors involved in the project had inflated their prices. The NHE was previously mandated to manage and oversee the project, but their role was stopped and the project temporarily canned.“The ministry has commissioned a comprehensive review of the mass housing blueprint as well as the drafting of the ministerial implementation plan. The outcome policy documentation and implementation will guide the national housing development initiatives and provide clarity on the role of the state and other roleplayers going forward,” Daniel said.No timeline in terms of the project implementation was provided, despite a request to the ministry to provide one. Daniel explained that certain houses could not be financed by commercial banking institutions. To overcome this challenge, the NHE has been tasked to look into financing these houses. Of the total number of completed houses, only 93 were standing unoccupied, according to the ministry.“The timely allocation and sale of the completed houses has been negatively affected by the reluctance of financial institutions to lend to people who want to buy the said houses in some of the towns such as Khorixas, Karasburg, Outjo, and Otavi, which are declared as non-lending zones,” he said. “In order to overcome this challenge, government has since tasked the National Housing Enterprise to facilitate the allocation and the financing of the said houses. The NHE is performing this task,” Daniel added. The ministry was also asked what would happen in instances where it had been found that houses were not built to specification. “In cases where houses need to be rebuilt due to one or another (issue), the responsibility and liability is determined in terms of the provisions of the agreement or contract that has been entered into between government and the contractor,” said Daniel.To date, the ministry has claimed that 3 958 mass houses have been completed countrywide, while 1 107 units are still in the process of being completed. This, however, is at odds with comments made by Geingob during his 2017 State of the Nation Address, when he said over 5 000 houses had been built and delivered under the programme. Geingob boasted that 5 554 houses had been completed nationwide in the first year of the implementation of the Harambee Prosperity Plan, which was in 2016.The NHE, however, said in 2017 that not a single new house has been built by the parastatal under the mass housing project since the departure of former CEO Vinson Hailulu in August 2015. It was stripped of the mandate to construct mass houses following a cabinet directive. The enterprise is said to have built 3 500 houses under the mass housing project in about 10 to 11 months during Hailulu's tenure. This was in addition to 360 houses which were built and completed in Windhoek but not yet handed over. Following his ascendency to the presidency, Geingob promised better implementation of the project.OGONE TLHAGE

Mass housing back on radar

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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Mass housing back on radar

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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