2013-09-24Mathias Haufiku RUNDU – There is no reason why government should fail to build the 185 000 houses by the year 2030, as some critics claim, says the Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Housing Enterprise (NHE) Vinson Hailulu. Hailulu was debunking critics of the soon-to-be-launched N$45 billion Mass Housing Development Programme, which government is expected to launch next month. The programme is meant to reduce the current housing deficit of 100 000 housing units. People who already own houses will not benefit from the programme under which the estimated construction cost of each house is pegged at N$280 000. About 8850 houses will be built in the first two phases of the project at a cost of N$2.47 billion. The backlog is predicted to hit the 200 000 mark by 2030 if the ongoing housing crisis is not addressed. The biggest of its kind ever to be launched in the country, NHE will be mandated to build low-cost houses for low-income earners and even for middle-income earners. Speaking to New Era yesterday, Hailulu said the NHE has built over 17 000 houses since its inception using its own resources, and now with the availability of resources, there is no reason why the housing problem cannot be solved. “We only started getting money from government about two years ago when we got N$25 million and another N$25 million a year ago,” he said. Hailulu said the lack of funding was the primary reason why the housing entity could not provide more houses to house-starved Namibians. “I always stated that there is a need for public investment in housing if we are to solve the housing crisis, because NHE could not do it alone. We had to borrow money and at the same time provide affordable housing to the nation. Since independence housing has been a priority along with education, health and agriculture, but accompanying resources for housing cannot even be compared to the other priorities,” Hailulu said. Hailulu was in Otjiwarongo to meet with chief regional officers and technical teams to craft out the implementation modalities for the programme. “If we could built over 17 000 houses with the capacity and resources we had, why should we fail now while we have enough resources. This programme can work, other countries have successfully implemented mass housing programmes and built houses for their people, why should we struggle to provide housing for two million people,” he said. He urged everyone to be positive about the programme, saying it would be implemented successfully. “Let us not be prophets of doom, we must all believe that we can do this,” he said. “We will use the same system that we use for NHE to make sure that preference is given to those who do not own homes. If we fail to do this than the programme will not serve its intended purpose, some people will buy the houses and sell them at higher prices just to become richer,” he said. By Mathias Haufiku 2013-09-24Mathias Haufiku
