SWAKOPMUND - The Omaruru municipality has relocated over 30 households from the dilapidated single quarters to Extensions 5 and 6 in the town’s Kapekaha Road.

The decision to demolish the N$2.2 million single quarters was taken in 2014 after it was discovered that the houses were poorly constructed by a local contractor between 2006 and 2013.

The Omaruru municipality’s
chief executive officer Valentinus Sindongo told Nampa in a recent interview that the municipality had allocated land and houses to residents of the single quarters, as well as residents who have been on the housing waiting list since 2010.

“It was not an easy process to
decide who to relocate and who to allocate housing and land to first, as there is a long beneficiary list. But we finally managed to relocate those out of the single quarters structures, which are currently being demolished. We also went back to the waiting list - which
we identified through the Build Together Programme - which has been idle for some time due to
several delays,” he added.

Sindongo said the council, however, now faces a situation of providing a market or business hub for the residents who were relocated from the single quarters, as most of them did business in the area.

“We have been seeking funding assistance from the line ministry to see how best they can assist us so
that we open a proper open market on the land where we are demolishing these structures to
cater for everyone who was living there, as well as other business people around the town,” he noted.

The CEO said the housing demand in the town is high, and
the municipality is currently
working on a strategic plan to find
the right modalities to address the issue.

 -Nampa