Kuzeeko Tjitemisa
WINDHOEK – In its bid to revive the dormant Build Together Programme in the region, the Omaheke Regional Council has committed over N$7 million for the construction and renovation of Build Together houses in the region, the council’s senior public relations officer Tauno Iileka said on Friday.
Iileka said the regional council appointed MRBM Namibia as contractor to construct 15 houses at Omawejozonjanda in Epukiro Constituency, 15 in Tallismanus, Otjombinde Constituency and another 15 in Aminuis, Aminuis Constituency.
He added that the regional council on Friday officially handed over the construction sites to the contractor, MRBM Namibia, to start with the construction of houses.
According to Iileka, MRBM Namibia uses cellular lightweight concrete, a lighter and more thermally efficient alternative to the conventional brick-and-mortar building system and they have an exclusive distribution agreement with MRBM Africa to use this system in Namibia.
He said the construction of the 45 new houses at Omawejozonjanda, Tallismanus and Aminuis are expected to be completed by March next year at a total cost of N$3.7 million.
Iileka said another N$1.5 million is being spent to renovate 111 defective houses in various settlements in the region which were constructed about 10 years ago.
According to him, a further N$2 million will be spent on the construction of 25 new houses which were planned to be constructed 10 years ago in Aminuis.
Iileka said the Regional Build Together Programme was dormant for about seven years due to a number of challenges.
He said these challenges include price escalation of building materials and transport, a limited number of serviced plots, a lack of technical capacity by some appointed local contractors, limited starting capital, abandonment of sites by some local contractors, and some beneficiaries not playing their expected roles of supplying sand and concrete on time.
According to him, a moratorium declared by the then Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development on the utilisation of the Build Together Programme funds by the regional and local authorities in November 2014 further delayed the implementation of this programme.
He said that since the moratorium was lifted, the regional council has reactivated the Regional Build Together Committee, on March 1, 2016 to develop and coordinate an implementation plan of the decentralised Build Together Programme.