REHOBOTH – The National Housing Enterprise (NHE) plans to construct about 1300 houses in Gobabis, Rehoboth and Windhoek, during the first phase of the national mass housing construction programme.
The NHE intends to service 1528 plots in the three towns and will also upgrade services in 907 informal settlements at Gobabis, Okahandja and Windhoek. NHE central branch regional manager Tangeni Nghikongwa revealed this to New Era, while on a visit to one of the development sites at Rehoboth on Friday, where they started building 62 housing units in February. Fourty clients at Rehoboth prefer core houses – the smallest units – starting from 45 to 51 per square metres, while 12 opted for conventional houses measuring between 54 and 68 square metres. The houses include one to three bedrooms. “We look at income. You can’t build conventional houses when people can’t afford them,” said Nghikongwa. At Otjiwarongo the NHE plans to build 71 units, while in Windhoek more than 1000 houses are expected to be constructed during phase one of the mass housing project, which started last year and ends in 2015.
Okahandja and Okakarara will not benefit from the NHE mass housing during the first phase of the project, according to Nghikongwa. The NHE plans to build 10 137 houses countrywide, upgrade 1227 informal settlements and service 6415 plots. “We expect to deliver,” Nghikongwa emphasized.
By Magreth Nunuhe