Councillorraises questions over Govt’s housing plan

A councillor in the Zambezi region has raised questions on the feasibility of the government’s plan to build 50 000 houses over five years.

Judea Lyaboloma constituency councillor Humphrey Divai questions how likely it is that the government will build 50 000 homes in five years.

“It’s 50 000 thousand houses, the first year is already almost gone! We are almost in May [mid-year. You’re looking at having to build over 50 000 new homes a year from 2025 to2029,” Divai says.

This comes after president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said the mass formalisation of informal settlements will commence in earnest at her state of the nation address last week.

“To this end, the minister of urban and rural development is directed to establish a special land delivery task force under existing laws, restructure the township board and capacitate the surveyor general’s office to fast-track surveying, to create more land and housing ownership opportunities,” she stated.

Namibia has a housing backlog of 300 000 units and will need about N$76 billion to clear the backlog.

Divai says there is a need for the Procurement Act to be amended to have the project completed in a specified period of time.

He also questions the ability of the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) to build more than 50 000 houses.

“They can only construct less than 10 000 houses in five years,” he says.

Another challenge Divai points out is who will build those houses.

He adds that NHE has better quality houses while the government has drastic skill shortages in construction.

“I would say that if they can hit over 10 000 this year and next, then 10 000 in 2027, and another 10 000 and complete the remaining 20 000 houses in 2028 to 2029, that would be a good effort,” he says.

Meanwhile, Swapo member of parliament and Katima Mulilo Urban constituency councillor Kennedy Simasiku says the plan is a huge step in the right direction.

“Katima Mulilo alone has a housing backlog of plus, minus 6 000 and my guess is that countrywide the numbers are quite high.

“What is important though is the need to address housing in the lower income bracket,” he says.