Otweya houses to see the light

JEMIMA BEUKES WINDHOEKErongo governor Neville Andre has confirmed that they are pushing to fast-track the electrification process of the 142 houses handed over by President Hage Geingob in the Otweya informal settlement in Walvis Bay last week.Geingob and Andre came under fire for forging ahead with the handover process while the houses were still incomplete and the tender for the construction of the power station was only awarded on Friday, 10 September.He said this week that the handover officiated last Friday was done to avoid houses remaining unoccupied once completed, as is the case with several homes under the National Housing Enterprise’s (NHE) low-cost scheme.Meanwhile, the process to electrify these houses will take up to six months, which means residents may only be able to move in next March.In a statement issued on Tuesday, Andre explained that the electrification process - which will be done at a cost of N$15.3 million - is now underway.“The full electrification is now underway and everything is being done to expedite the project and to ensure all housing units have access to electricity in the shortest possible time,” he said.Devastating fireAfter a devastating fire blazed through the Twaloloka informal settlement, destroying hundreds of shacks and killing a toddler last year, Cabinet approved the construction of the houses under the Office of the Prime Minister’s disaster risk management directorate. Twaloloka has since been renamed to Otweya.In the statement, Andre explained that the administration and modalities of the provision of land and housing at Otweya will be based on loan and cost recovery principles set out under the Build Together Programme.Once the modalities are concluded, the beneficiaries will be informed and consulted about the process.jemima@namibiansun.com

Otweya houses to see the light

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-02

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Otweya houses to see the light

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-02

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