WINDHOEK – The National Housing Enterprise (NHE) has confirmed that the first phase of the mass housing programme is only applicable to firms that use conventional building materials.
However, the NHE says it is currently in the process of testing alternative, low-cost building technologies by means of a research and development village it has established in the Goreangab area on the periphery of Windhoek.
According to Eric Libongani, the manager of corporate communication and marketing at NHE, the research and development village is meant to showcase alternative building products and test the social acceptability of these products among key stakeholders for possible application during the second phase of the N$45 billion mass housing programme.
The programme, which is to be implemented in phases, aims to build 185 000 affordable houses by 2030.
The first phase is to run for two years and targets all 14 regions by building approximately 8 800 housing units and servicing 10 200 plots at an estimated cost of N$2.7 billion.
“Therefore there is no budget allocation for alternative building technologies since this concept does not form part of the first phase of the mass housing programme,” explained Libongani.
“Yes, we have more than seven alternative building technologies promoting companies at our established village. These companies were awarded plots to construct different house types and six houses have been completed thus far. We are also aware of the Walvis Bay Municipality who have set up an alternative building technology village to test its viability for possible consideration in future,” he added.
The implementation of the programme is to be scaled up for the remaining 15 years to ensure that approximately 12 000 houses are built per year in different parts of the country.
The programme will target middle, low and ultra-low income groups in terms of providing access to land and housing and is divided into sub-programmes, such as credit-linked housing that targets middle-income groups, as well as social or subsidised housing that caters for low and ultra-low income groups.
By Edgar Brandt