WINDHOEK – A blame-game has erupted between Namibia/Angola Housing Initiative (NAAHI) and the Gobabis Town Council over who should drive and implement the ambitious, multi-billion-dollar development plan mooted two years ago.
None of the plans materialized that NAAHI presented to the town council and the Omaheke Regional Council in March 2012. The plan included the establishment of an inland terminal, an industrial office complex and corporate park, a mixed-use residential development, a cattle processing clusterpark and an industrial park. The venture was to create over 11 000 jobs, but hopes started dwindling last year after it became apparent that the 250 hectares of land the Gobabis municipality offered to NAAHI was only symbolic. The land was to be transferred within four months of the signing, but it never happened. The Gobabis International Logistics Park was to be developed on the eastern side of town along the Trans-Kalahari Highway, but no actual approval was received from the Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development, which is the custodian of the land. Jose Oliveira, NAAHI founder and director, said this week that provision of land was still the bottleneck that has stalled the initiative.
“You can’t develop without land,” he said, adding they have always been clear about going into private public partnership with the municipality to generate revenue for the town, but bureaucracy was stifling the initiative.
He said infrastructural funding takes time and the delays could frustrate investors.
“We have shown that we are not fly-by-nights,” he added, referring to the livestock-purchasing venture NAAHI facilitated between the Angola’s Cuando Cubango Governor, General Higino Carneiro and Omaheke Governor Festus Ueitele.
When the town council’s chief executive officer, Efraim Dawids, was approached for comment last year on the matter, he said that they had already approved the investment plans in principle, although some paper work still needed to be finalised. Approached for comment again over the weekend Dawids referred all enquiries to the municipality’s public relations officer, Frederick Ueitele.
Ueitele said the town council rescinded a resolution that gave land to NAAHI subject to consultation between lawyers of the two entities. According to him NAAHI never reverted back to them after they were informed of the new decision. Gobabis enlisted the services of lawyer Ronald Kurtz, who also substantiated the claims, saying they never received any documentation from NAAHI. But Oliveira hit back saying they are not aware of such a resolution and they were never contacted about the change of plan.
NAAHI also has joint ventures with the Walvis Bay Logistics Park, a project aimed at attracting investment to the harbour town.
By Magreth Nunuhe