WALVIS BAY – The National Housing Enterprise (NHE) says houses currently being constructed under the government’s National Informal Settlement Upgrading Project is progressing well, with several housing developments already at an advance stage.
Officials from NHE visited the two sites in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay on Thursday, where construction of the houses is currently underway.
Speaking to the media after touring the sites, Mutonga Matali, NHE manager of corporate communications, said they were impressed with the progress made by contractors so far.
At the Kuisebmond site in Walvis Bay, 79 houses are under construction. The site was handed over to contractors in November, and within a month, several units had already reached roof level.
Matali said this rapid progress is due to a new approach that deploys multiple contractors simultaneously on a single project.
“At least 16 contractors are working with teams totaling around 160 workers in Walvis Bay and a similar model is being used in Swakopmund, where 73 houses also started construction in November. Of these, 66 units have completed excavation, 16 have reached window level, and another 16 are at roof level. At least three beneficiaries have already moved into completed homes in Swakopmund,” he said.
According to Matali, they expect all the houses to be completed by the end of January, provided work continues at the current pace.
Matali added that the upgraded implementation plan has reduced construction turnaround times allowing faster delivery and has a more direct impact on the national housing backlog.
“This can work hence we want to call on all local authorities to make more serviced land available as affordable land helps lower the final cost of houses for beneficiaries,” he said.
NHE is also servicing a piece of land in Walvis Bay that will yield 151 erven, with phase one delivering 67 erven. The regional manager of NHE in Erongo, Donald Tjikune, said they are currently collaborating with the local authorities in terms of the allocation of the houses.
Tjikune noted that it is easier to construct or relocate people in Swakopmund as many of them are already on their own erven.
“In Walvis Bay it is a bit of a challenges as the shacks are in the backyards making it difficult when it comes to allocations,” he explained.