SWAKOPMUND – Access to land remains one of the biggest barriers to home ownership not only in Swakopmund but throughout Namibia. According to the Swakopmund mayor Dina Namubes, who highlighted the challenges council experienced during the procurement process for the construction of 80 houses for the Build Together programme at the town, this issue persists. 

She spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony of the houses last week in Swakopmund. Namubes mentioned that the Procurement Act requirements and high construction costs delayed the construction of the low-cost houses. 

“Out of the 150 houses planned, the council successfully constructed 70 houses in two phases,” Namubes stated. 

“However, the construction of these houses proved to be costly, requiring the council to provide subsidies for the first batch of houses. Unfortunately, the construction of the remaining 80 houses faced delays due to the burdensome requirements of the Procurement Act and the high construction costs quoted by contractors. The received quotations exceeded the estimated budget, prompting the council to seek ministerial approval to exempt the Build Together Programme.” 

Consequently, the council approached the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDF) for assistance, but the quotes received from SDF for container-type and L-shape houses were also beyond the maximum cost limit of N$80 000 set by the line ministry. 

SDF quoted N$78 000 and N$103 000 respectively, excluding certain aspects such as electrical connections. The Namibia Institute of Mining and Technology was approached but could not construct the houses due to the costs involved. 

As a result, it was resolved that beneficiaries appoint their own contractors to build their houses. Namubes explained, “Each contractor was vetted, and beneficiaries agreed to accept the loans and take control of the construction process. These loans will be issued in four payments. It is against this background that we are launching the project today.” 

The contractors, represented by Herberth Aebeb, expressed their commitment to completing the project with the limited resources at their disposal. 

Aebeb said, “we would like, through this project, for the Swakopmund Municipality to put us on a testing ground and consider us whenever this type of work is available as we do not concentrate much on making money, but more on assisting the affected communities.” The contractors made a commitment to complete the project within five months. 

- edeklerk@nepc.com.na