United Africa has submitted substantial alterations to the City Council for the future Eliakim Namundjebo Plaza project opposite the Supreme Court.

The new plans are for two hotels instead of one, a bank, fewer shops but more flats and a massive four-storey parking garage for 2 200 vehicles.

The underground parking garage will be constructed first.

It will cost N$213 million and is set for completion by December 2010.

The planned garage will be very close to a geological fault line.

For this reason, no construction was allowed in the area now known as the OK Parking Area prior to Independence.

Only after Independence did the Government allow the construction of the Supreme Court building virtually on the fault line.

The consequences are easy to spot - many cracks in the new building and large tiles falling off.

At its monthly meeting last week, the City Council also noted that United Africa, which bought the land from the municipality for N$10 million in January 2004, had asked for an extension to pay off the plot in 26 instead of 20 instalments of N$437 763 per quarter.

The group also asked to only pay 50 per cent of the municipal rates and taxes, but this was turned down.

The company is in arrears with these obligations, but the amount was not made public.

Councillors on Thursday agreed that within a month from now, the company must produce a bank guarantee for the payment of the outstanding balance on the plot.

It must further provide another bank guarantee within four weeks for the payment of the rates and taxes in arrears.

The company must conduct a comprehensive traffic assessment and submit it to the municipality, which will peruse the plans.

Building plans will only be approved after the City of Windhoek is satisfied with the traffic assessment and approves it.

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