Govt to prioritise low-cost housing schemes

PRIME Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has revealed that the government will prioritise housing programmes such as the one spearheaded by the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia because it caters for large segments of society.

Against this backdrop, she said the government had during the current financial year allocated N$10 million to the federation for housing, compared to N$3 million the previous year.

“We want to distribute the cake among all Namibians,” Kuugongelwa-Amadhila stated yesterday when she handed over new houses to 13 beneficiaries whose houses were damaged by a storm at Berseba in February last year.

The Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN), which is a network of community-led savings groups working incrementally to secure affordable land, shelter and infrastructure services for low-income urban households across all 14 regions of Namibia, had been tasked to facilitate the construction of the victims’ houses.

The prime minister further revealed that it had cost the government N$58 000 to construct one house, compared to N$350 000 per house her office was quoted by contractors to build the dwellings.

“They even complain of how unsuitable these houses built at a lower cost per unit would be for the people,” she stressed, revealing that the housing construction project had cost the government N$668 142, of which N$391 522 was spent on building materials.

Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said the Namibian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) contributed N$500 000 towards the construction of the houses she was handing over, and urged the corporate world to emulate this example.

“Highly profitable housing contractors are not willing to invest in the people, but rather exploit them to pocket exorbitant profits and live in luxury, while others swim in poverty,” she observed.

Heinrich Amushila, co-director of the Namibia Housing Action Group (NHAG), which supports the SDFN, said the federation facilitated the construction of the houses free of charge.

He said the N$10 million the government had allocated to the federation will be used to build 500 houses countrywide this year.

Besides, Standard Bank Namibia also donated N$3,7 million, which is earmarked for the construction of 289 houses, while Ohorongo Cement and the Pupkewitz Foundation gave a combined N$1 million, which will be used for the construction of 78 houses. Amushila further revealed that 22 houses were under construction at Berseba, set to be completed within three months.

According to him, a penalty of N$1 000 would be charged on members failing to complete their houses within the set three-months period.

The prime minister also donated food parcels to the elderly and people with disabilities at the village.

– luqman@namibian.com.na