OMUTHIYA -The National Housing Enterprise (NHE), in what looks like an early Christmas gift, will as of next week start handing over housing units to prospective first-time buyers, with Oshakati being first inline. The handover will be taking place in Ekuku in Oshakati on Friday.
This will mark the first of the many houses among the NHE projects, launched in various towns, to be handed over going into early next year, with some Rundu residents expected to receive their NHE houses later this month.
NHE’s manager for Corporate Communication and Marketing, Eric Libongani, briefed New Era on the progress being made so far, expressing satisfaction on the pace at which the houses are being constructed. Although his focus was more on Omuthiya, he said he will share more details of the entire projects during the official handover in Oshakati.
“The Omuthiya project is progressing well, and all housing units are nearing completion. From the 50 houses under construction, 10 are completed and ready for handover, and a joint inspection by NHE and the contractor will be conducted soon to declare them ready for occupation,” stated Libongani.
These are low-cost houses, comprising of two and to three bedrooms.
Libongani added that the completed houses are likely to be handed over to clients in 2019, due to builders’ holiday, as all operations will cease at most project sites.
In the past, there have been scenarios where completed houses lay idle for a prolonged time, thus making them prone to vandalism. It is against this background that NHE does not want any delays in handing over and allocating the houses upon completion.
In Omuthiya, the NHE housing list stands at 1473. “As a result, all 50 houses under construction will be pre-allocated to clients on our waiting list, who meet the requirement, and this will be done on a first-come, first-served basis,” explained Libongani when queried whether the houses are already allocated to clients.
So far, he said, 19 of the 50 houses have been allocated to potential clients, of which seven are already bank approved. “The allocation process requires patience, as we have to screen clients on an individual basis. We are working tirelessly to ensure that houses are handed over to beneficiaries in the shortest time possible upon completion,” he advised.
Libongani said NHE was pleased to be involved in the development of Omuthiya in terms of housing, thus contributing to the town’s economic transformation.
He, in the same vein, urged clients who have registered for the Omuthiya project to visit the Oshakati office with documents such as identification cards, marriage certificates, pay slips, and bank statement for speed processing.