Windhoek
A legal opinion from the Office of the Attorney General, as well as an assessment report compiled by the Ministry of Works and Transport, will determine the fate of the suspended National Mass Housing Programme.
Friday is the due date for the submission of the report.
Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology (MICT), Stanley Simataa during a media briefing on Friday on the outcomes of last Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting indicated that Cabinet is in full support of the emergency measures taken by the Minister of Urban and Rural Development when she suspended the project.
“A further briefing will be provided to Cabinet once a legal opinion has been received from the Attorney-General and the assessment report by the quantity surveyors team by the Ministry of Works and Transport,” he said.
The Minister of Urban and Rural Development Sophia Shaningwa instructed the National Housing Enterprise in May to stop any construction being carried out under the N$45 billion programme, which aimed to deliver 185,000 houses by 2030.
Simaata said Cabinet also supported Shaningwa’s directive for the submission of contracts entered into by and between NHE and contractors, and all other reference documents to the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG).
“The Attorney-General will analyse the validity of the contracts and provide an opinion on the legal and potential financial implications and any claims that may arise from any changes that may be necessary” to put the programme on the right track, Simataa said.
Simataa further noted that Cabinet instructed the Minister of Works and Transport, Alpheus !Naruseb, to expedite the finalisation of the assessment by a team of quantity surveyors appointed by his ministry and for their report to be submitted as soon as possible, with the due date for submission scheduled for this coming Friday.
The deputy minister said Cabinet also took note of progress made in the implementation of earlier resolutions on land and related matters.
Cabinet recognises that the Attorney-General is busy engaging various ministries and agencies on the legal implications of the proposed amendments, with the view to finalise draft bills, Simataa said.
Since its commissioning towards the end of 2013, the mass housing programme struggled to make progress after only 1,468 houses out of the targeted 10,000 units were completed during the first phase.
Out of the 1,468 constructed houses, more than half (797) are still in the process of being connected to municipal services, such as water, sewage and electricity.
– Additional reporting by Nampa