N$900m road works start despite cash and water crunch

THE N$900 million new road from Windhoek to the Hosea Kutako International Airport will go ahead, despite a tight squeeze on government cash-flow and a crippling water shortage that has hit the capital city hardest.

Both the Roads Authority and the Ministry of Finance have confirmed that the project will proceed unhindered. Several projects have had to be sacrificed as government finally admitted that it was suffering from a cash crunch and called for funds to be used only on priority areas, especially economically productive public works.

So tight is state income that the finance ministry has compelled ministries and state agencies to get projects vetted, some of which have already been affected after a revision of their priorities.

A joint venture between the China Railway Seventh Group (80% shares) and Martin Ipinge’s Onamagongwa Trading Enterprises (20%) was awarded the tender by the Roads Authority (RA), which is the agency responsible for building and maintaining the national roads network.

Ministry of Finance permanent secretary Ericah Shafudah yesterday said the construction of the Windhoek to Hosea Kutako International Airport dual carriageway will not be affected if the RA has the money for the project.

“If state-owned enterprises have the money to implement projects, we cannot stop them. Those who want to implement new projects with the expectation that they will be financed by the state during this financial year, those projects are equally affected by the freezing of their implementation until the 2016/17 financial year,” Shafudah explained.

Expected to cost N$900 million, according to the RA, the project involves the building of six bridges, the reconstruction of the Auas Road as well as two bridges across Frankie Fredericks Drive in Windhoek.

The construction of the two bridges across Frankie Fredericks Drive are scheduled to commence in two months, depending on the establishment of resources and progress on other bridges.

The RA’s corporate communications manager Hileni Fillemon could not say why the project was considered a priority after the government had decided to put several capital projects on hold because of depleted coffers.

Many building projects have also suffered because of the water shortage facing the country, with Windhoek suffering the most.

Joshua Amukugo, spokesperson for the City of Windhoek, said if the water situation worsens, they will consider suspending all new projects, including the construction of the westbound dual carriageway.

“If things get worse, we cannot sacrifice the lives of people. We will put in stricter measures. We are considering stopping all new constructions and allowing those who have started to complete their projects,” he stated.

Amukugo said the decision being considered by the city is similar to that of the finance ministry, which has directed government institutions to suspend issuing new state contracts until the national budget is reviewed later this month.

He added that suspending construction works such as the road to the airport will, however, not be easy because companies have agreements with banks, and are expected to complete their work within a specific timeframe.

Fillemon told The Namibian that the project on theWindhoek-Hosea Kutako 78-kilometre road will take about 38 to 40 months to complete.

She said more details will be discussed with key stakeholders as soon as the contractor starts working optimally, with all water and gravel sources secured, and the final programme of works being finalised.

According to Amukugo, they have been advising contractors to save water, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. “We told them to try using semi-purified water. For now, we are all living on hopes that it will rain. Construction is part and parcel of development. We, however, need to be aware of the severity of the situation, and come up with alternatives,” he noted.

Earlier this month, records showed that the savings achieved were still critically low at 26%, with the municipality saying there is a need for all the residents to review their water consumption and work hard to achieve the required 40% water savings targets.