Windhoek mayor Fransina Kahungu says the relocation site – where communities affected by the Goreangab and Monte Christo road development will be moved – has been identified and surveyed in Havana extension 9. “As we are speaking, road work is near completion.
The site is being surveyed and the communal services are to be installed before we can relocate people.
Overall, the progress is very good,” she told New Era yesterday. In February this year, the Windhoek city council resolved to relocate 256 households from the Monte Christo road reserve in Havana and a portion in Goreangab to pave way for the Ongos Valley Phase 1 development as well as the Goreangab Waterfront mixed development.
The households at Windhoek’s Havana informal settlement identified for relocation are directly affected by the expansion of Monte Christo road and the extension of Independence Avenue, which will lead to the area where the envisaged township will be developed.
The council indicated Monte Christo road was critical to the development of Ongos Valley Phase 1, being the shortest and most practical access route and being the bulk service link for water and electricity supply to the development.
The developments include a township to be developed on Farm Ongos No. 38 – situated 13 kilometres from the Windhoek central business district west of the Nubuamis area – and a mixed residential development by the Goreangab Waterfront Development.
Ongos Valley developers plan to build about 28 000 housing units within a 15 to 20 years period at a projected cost of N$20 billion.
The Goreangab Waterfront Development has already started construction with most houses up for sale. On Ongos road upgrade, which includes the Matshitshi and Monte Christo road, she said such road work has commenced and is progressing well.
“This also includes the preparation of the relocation site. The negotiations with the affected people have started. Some of these households are on the way for road construction, while others are in the way for the formal market site. We plan to build a formal market as there are many informal traders in Havana and Goreangab,” she maintained.
Kahungu warned those instigating the affected residents facing relocation not to move.
These instigators are allegedly telling the affected people that once they move, they will lose their customers for their small to medium businesses. Another progress she mentioned is the expansion of Independence Avenue and Otjomuise road.
She reported 50% of the work is completed and the developers applied to take over that portion of the road as it lies within their development. “The City of Windhoek is waiting for the developers’ engineers to submit a quality assurance manual for auditing purposes. After section 1 is finished, then section 2 will follow.
She clarified that these road works are not at the cost of the City of Windhoek but will be funded by the two developers.
-anakale@nepc.com.na