By Mathias Haufiku
WINDHOEK – Despite its dismal performance in the just-ended general elections, the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) is keeping alive its plans to kick-start its housing programme, reportedly worth N$3 billion, to build thousands of low-cost houses for house-starved Namibians.
New Era understands that the beneficiaries will repay the houses at nominal costs.
NEFF’s second-in-command, Kalimbo Ipumbu, told New Era over the weekend that the housing programme will continue as planned and that the party has already registered close to 2 000 people, who stand to benefit from the investment.
“The programme will continue as planned and we will start with those who have applied. We will soon engage the City of Windhoek to avail some land or at least sell it to us at below market rates because this programme is meant to build as many houses as possible,” said Ipumbu.
Although the party leadership remains tight-lipped about the source of the funding, senior party officials said the multi-billion-dollar investment was being made by party partners from the United Arab Emirates.
The party said last year that it is planning to meet President Hifikepunye Pohamba and Finance Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila to grant them impunity from taxes on the investment so that the entire project money can be used to construct houses.
Ipumbu said efforts to have an audience with Pohamba and Kuugongelwa-Amadhila have remained futile, as there was no response from their respective offices.
Ipumbu attributed the recent land-grabbing acts across the country to the high cost of land, adding: “The reason why people grab land is because they cannot afford it. Instead of selling a plot to one person for a million, why can we not use that plot to build houses for our people.”
NEFF is one of the parties that failed to secure enough votes to obtain a seat in the National Assembly after securing only 3 259 of the 893 643 votes cast, while its leader, Epafras Mukwiilongo, came out last during the presidential elections after obtaining 2 514 of the 890 738 votes.
After the polls, the party conceded defeat and was quoted in the local media labelling its election performance as “embarrassing”.