The increasing delivery of decent housing units and the expanded rollout of electricity to almost all sectors of the regional economy were some of the biggest highlights in Omaheke governor Pijoo Nganate’s state of the region address yesterday.
Delivering his fourth Sora, Nganate applauded the regional leadership’s collective efforts in ensuring that residents were accorded access to decent and equitable housing, electricity and water provisions, which in turn played a huge role in the inhabitants’ economic advancement.
“The Gobabis municipality collaborated with the Shack Dwellers Federation and the National Housing Enterprise (NHE). Through the Shack Dwellers Federation, 33 houses were completed and handed over and an additional 77 houses were requested and approved. NHE provided 16 houses in Nossobville and 50 houses in Epako, which also were completed. With regard to the Build Together Project, 11 houses were completed in total. These efforts will continue as more of our people are still waiting to be given decent shelter,” said Nganate.
At the constituency level, he said the region has equally made great strides in terms of delivering affordable houses to the masses, especially to single mothers and pensioners.
“The Build Together Programme, managed by the Omaheke Regional Council, oversaw the construction of 70 houses at Epukiro, Talismanus and Aminuis settlements at the cost of N$5.6 million, of which N$3.5 million was spent. To date, 32 houses are fully completed in; Epukiro (6), Tallismanus (9) and Aminuis (17) houses.
“Also, through the Decentralised Build Together Programme, we ensured that the bricks for the houses were produced locally. Although this project is long overdue, we are thankful for its commencement during the last financial year and council has assured me of the speedy completion of all 70 houses as planned,” said the governor.
The veteran politician, who took over the governorship of Omaheke in 2020, also expressed great satisfaction with the expanded rollout of electricity and water to the region’s various sectors, especially to hundreds of households and businesses.
“The expansion of electrical grids through low and medium voltage network under the 50/50 cost sharing arrangement between Omaheke Regional Council and [the Central North Regional Electricity Distributor] (Cenored) was completed at Drimiopsis, Ben-Hur, Tallismanus, Omitara and other places, and electrified a total of 429 houses. Also, amongst our many capital projects, which were to the tune of about N$15.8 million, I am happy to report that the Corridor 13 settlement office is 90% completed; the water reticulation for expansion of water supply at Aminuis is completed; gravitational sewer reticulation to connect 155 plots north of the highway at Witvlei Village is completed.
“The installation of four boreholes and water connections to water towers at Drimiopsis, Summerdown and Eiseb 10 settlements is completed. The contractor is at an advance stage with the completion of an oxidation pond, gravitational sewer line and pump station to provide municipal services to 45 plots at Eiseb 10 growth point. With regard to rural sanitation programme, N$678 000 was allocated for construction of toilets for people with disabilities, and nine toilets out of 28 planned were completed,” he reported.
Omaheke lies in eastern Namibia on the border with Botswana and the region’s capital is Gobabis, which is its main business hub, as it also links the region with the capital Windhoek via rail and the tarred B6 national road. Those routes serve as the main supply line for the region.
The region also has Otjinene, Leonardville and Witvlei operating as village councils. As of 2020, Omaheke had over 48 594 registered voters.
-ohembapu@nepc.com.na