OSHAKATI – President Hifikepunye Pohamba is finally a happy president following the unveiling of what he referred to as “quality houses” under the mass housing programme at Ekuku location in Oshakati last Friday.
A cluster of 65 houses was officially inaugurated and at least six houses were handed over to the owners. The beneficiaries are former flood victims from Sky and Eemwandi locations in Oshakati who over the past six years spent the rainy seasons at Ekuku flood camps because their houses got flooded each year.
“These houses look nice from outside, I will show my appreciation when I am inside,” said Pohamba before he entered one of the houses for inspection.
“I would like to emphasise on the point of quality. When you build something for yourself, or when someone instructs you to build something for them, ensure quality. I am talking about quality that lasts, not quality where cracks appear on the floor, and roofs start shaking and leaking after six months – that is not quality. By building like that you have disappointed the person that hired you,” he said.
Last week Pohamba tongue-lashed the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) Chief Executive Officer Vinsent Hailulu during the unveiling of mass housing programme houses in Walvis Bay. The houses only had one door. “We gave you (Hailulu) responsibilities and you are not attending to those responsibilities … and I am angry with you,” Pohamba said then.
However, after inspecting the six houses at Ekuku, Pohamba was visibly happy with the quality of work done.
The 65 houses are among 400 houses that will be constructed at Ekuku by the northern-based businessman Ben Zaaruka for the mass housing scheme.
Oshana Regional Governor Clemens Kashuupulwa said the region is ready to provide serviced land in Oshakati, Ongwediva and Ondangwa towns as well as at Uukwangula and Eheke settlement areas for the successful implementation of the mass housing project and to reduce the number of people living in shacks in the region.
“I would like to express my appreciation to Oshakati Town Council for servicing and availing 400 erven for the construction of houses under the mass housing project’s first phase. In the second phase the council will have 1 400 erven available for housing,” he said.
“Over 1059 erven are currently being serviced to be constructed under phase two while 541 will be serviced immediately thereafter. The aim is to address the housing backlog in Oshakati by allocating land and housing to the low and middle income earners,” said Kashuupulwa.
Meanwhile most of the beneficiaries could not contain their joy at receiving the houses.
Mary Moses a police officer and Michael Moses, a maintenance officer in the Ministry of Education were two of the six beneficiaries who were very happy. This family of eight were living in Sky location where they had neither water nor a flushing toilet.
“We feel very good that we have a house of our own, now we have water in the house, we will no longer get water from the neighbours, we now have a decent yard and our children and grandchildren have enough space to play,” said Moses.
“We are happy, we have too many people that are employed in town and because of a lack of decent houses they are forced to live in shacks that are flooded year in and year out. Now our people have decent and permanent houses,” said Chief Herman Iipumbu of Uukwambi Traditional Authority, under which Ekuku settlement which used to be Ekuku village is located.
By Helvy Shaanika