N$590m bill for mass housing

A total of 1 214 houses have been constructed in the country during the first phase of the ambitious mass housing project to be completed by 2016. In the latest progress report on the implementation of phase one of the mass housing project that aims to build 10 043 houses in the country, the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) said the total bill for the construction of these houses was N$594.7 million. These houses do not include Grootfontein and the informal upgrading in Okahandja, Windhoek and Gobabis. A total of N$159.6 million had still not been paid to contractors at December 31 last year. According to the report an additional amount of N$49.6 million for land servicing was also owed to contractors at that time. The NHE said that there is an urgent need to pay the outstanding contractor bill, in order for them to proceed with the construction of houses. According to the report, 3 345 house are currently under construction. The planned budget is N$3.195 billion and the amount of money paid to date for the construction of houses is N$435.1 million. Of the 1 595 houses to be completed by April next year in Walvis Bay, a total of 149 have been constructed. At Swakopmund, 223 houses have been constructed out of the 3 036 planned units, which are to be completed by April next year. At Henties Bay, 38 houses have been constructed out of the 80 that must be completed by March. A total of 82 houses have been constructed at Mariental out of the 268 houses that are scheduled to be completed by March next year, while at Rehoboth 52 houses have been built out of the 62 houses that had to be completed by last month. A total of 104 houses have been completed out of the 320 houses that are planned for Keetmanshoop. These units are scheduled for completion by March next year. At Karasburg, 69 houses are constructed out of the 267 houses that are to be completed by March next year. At Lüderitz, 22 houses out of the 158 houses were built and the units are due to be completed by April next year. At Nkurenkuru, 20 houses out of 285 units have been built, with the rest scheduled for completion by April next year. At Rundu, 93 out of 308 houses have been constructed, with the rest due for completion by March next year. At Khorixas, 41 houses have been constructed out of 189 units that are planned for completion by March next year. At Outjo, the envisaged 20 houses have been completed. At Okahao, 50 houses have been completed out of 272 units that are scheduled for completion by January next year. At Oshikuku, 40 houses out of the 79 units have been constructed wwith the due date for completion being April. At Oshakati, 142 houses out of 646 houses have been constructed, with the rest scheduled for completion by January 2017. At Katima Mulilo, 69 houses out of the 351 units are constructed, with the rest scheduled for completion by April of next year. According to the report 89 houses were handed over in Walvis Bay in November of last year, while 65 houses were handed over in Oshakati and 40 in Mariental. The report further indicated that the NHE submitted a borrowing proposal amounting to N$2 billion to the Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development, consisting of a term sheet, a business plan and financial projections. Comments from the line ministry and the Ministry of Finance have been received and the NHE will engage the suggested institutions and work on a new funding proposal. President Hifikepunye Pohamba launched the ambitious national mass housing project in November 2013. The aim of the project is to build 185 000 houses by 2030. WINDHOEK ELLANIE SMIT