KOMBAT – The community of Neu Sommerau government resettlement farm near Kombat will from now on take less time travelling long distances to fetch water after a Chinese company spent N$3 million to construct a gravel road for this rural community.
Zhen Hua Construction Material CC financed the 2.5-kilometre road, which stretches from the farm to the road that connects Otavi and Grootfontein.
At yesterday’s road inauguration and official handing over ceremony, the company also donated 150 duvets and school stationery valued at N$40 000 that it handed over to the community.
Zhen Hua Construction Material CC was established in 2001 and is based in Kombat.
The two-decades-old government resettlement farm is located between Otavi and Grootfontein. The Chinese company employs over 100 Namibians and says it is committed to providing employment to previously disadvantaged Namibians besides running social programmes intended to uplift various communities that have benefitted from its generosity.
Deputy Chinese Ambassador to Namibia, Yang Jun, also attended the handing over ceremony and remarked on the brick making company’s “good example for Chinese business in Namibia”.
She encouraged other Chinese businesses to ensure they give back to local Namibian communities.
Otjozondjupa Governor, Otto Ipinge, commended the Chinese government for its strategic partnership and support towards poverty eradication and called upon the public and private sector to join efforts in helping disadvantaged Namibians.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Land Reform, Utoni Nujoma, described Zhen Hua’s support of the resettlement farm a “perfect example of public private partnership” and added that the donation was a reminder of the nation’s social responsibility to their respective communities.
Utoni urged the regional council to initiate more projects at Neu Sommerau to ensure that available land is used sustainably for poverty eradication projects.
Government acquired Farm Neu Sommerau in 2001 with the goal of turning the farm into an income-generating agricultural project through crop and livestock farming. Since its creation, public and private stakeholders have supported the farm’s sustenance with materials such as diesel, seeds, and fertilizer.
*Kaylan Shipanga is an Information Officer at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology based at the MICT regional office in Otjozondjupa region