WINDHOEK – Plans to construct a district hospital in Katutura’s Samora Machel Constituency have been put on ice after the construction of a fresh produce hub on the same site took up much of the available land.
The Windhoek Municipality had availed land at a sports field located between Wanaheda, Hakahana and Havana locations where the two projects could be constructed.
However, it now appears both projects require large tracts of land and cannot both be accommodated on the piece of land availed by the municipality.
The construction of the fresh produce hub is already underway, leaving inadequate space for the hospital project.
More than six hectares are needed for the hospital site.
Tobias Hainyeko constituency councillor Zulu Shitongeni, who is also the chairperson of the Khomas Regional Council’s management committee, says attempts are being made to secure a bigger piece of land for the hospital.
Talks of obtaining the required land are on going between the office of the governor and the municipality, Shitongeni has told New Era.
“They are hard at work trying to acquire a bigger plot. So far it has offered us land but the problem is that it is small land and [does] not add up to the six hectares required to accommodate the hospital,” said Shitongeni
Shitongeni added that the hospital could not be built in the neighbouring constituencies because there is no space. He cited his constituency of Tobias Hainyeko, where he said all the land is occupied and the available [space] is too small.
“Samora Machel was the ideal area to have a hospital built because it in the centre of Tobias Hainyeko and Moses // Garoeb constituencies and could therefore be easily accessible to inhabitants of the three constituencies,” said Shitongeni.
However, the municipality had offered to avail land on the fringe of Havana settlement, as an option after efforts to acquire an area central to the three constituencies were exhausted.
Shitongeni further said that constructing the hospital on the fringe of Havana will be a challenge for some residents due the distance they would need to travel and lack of municipal services will be another major problem.