Northland City forging on

THE new developers of the Northland City project, PLN Business Solutions, say they will change nothing in the initial project plan to go ahead with establishing Namibia’s largest entertainment and business complex at Helao Nafidi.

PLN Business Solutions, which comprises a group of local businesspeople, bought the controversial project at a cost of over N$5 million from founder Antoine Mbok earlier this month. The complex, dubbed Namibia’s version of Sun City, is expected to cost N$1 billion and will be situated on the border with Angola.It will include an 18-hole golf course, a business centre, shops, a nightclub and a waterfront.Since its launch nearly a year ago, a cloud of confusion and controversy has hung over the project, which failed to take off after Mbok and former board members became embroiled in disagreements.In an interview with The Namibian this week, PLN Business Solutions Chief Executive Officer Peter Kavaongelwa said as property developers it made business sense to invest in Northland City.”It’s business as usual and we shall continue as per plan,” he said.Kavaongelwa – who is a Windhoek-based magistrate – dismissed claims made in a weekly newspaper that the sale of Northland had been illegal.He said the transfer was carried out in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Northland Development Project.Kavaongelwa added that his company would not inherit any previous disputes that Mbok had with the Helao Nafidi Town Council and former Northland board members.When he announced the sale this month, Mbok mentioned that he would drop the corruption charges he had levelled against the town council and former board members, which included Ambassador Shapua Kaukungua.Kavaongelwa said they would be starting on a clean slate and would pay the town council the outstanding money required to relocate the families still living at the project site.He said the new owners had made an agreement with Mbok to go through a three-month transfer period.After the transition period, Kavaongelwa said his company would meet the architects involved in the project to discuss starting the construction.Construction of Northland City is envisaged to take 18 to 20 months Kavaongelwa said the project would have many benefits for Namibia, including job and wealth creation.He said the project would also establish a fund for the community, which would directly benefit orphans and widows and widowers, adding that a percentage of their profits would be dedicated to vulnerable people.”The benefits from this project are innumerable and once completed, they will be visible to everyone.But also as businessmen we were motivated by the profits, so it made sense to buy Northland,” said Kavaongelwa.The complex, dubbed Namibia’s version of Sun City, is expected to cost N$1 billion and will be situated on the border with Angola.It will include an 18-hole golf course, a business centre, shops, a nightclub and a waterfront.Since its launch nearly a year ago, a cloud of confusion and controversy has hung over the project, which failed to take off after Mbok and former board members became embroiled in disagreements.In an interview with The Namibian this week, PLN Business Solutions Chief Executive Officer Peter Kavaongelwa said as property developers it made business sense to invest in Northland City.”It’s business as usual and we shall continue as per plan,” he said.Kavaongelwa – who is a Windhoek-based magistrate – dismissed claims made in a weekly newspaper that the sale of Northland had been illegal.He said the transfer was carried out in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Northland Development Project.Kavaongelwa added that his company would not inherit any previous disputes that Mbok had with the Helao Nafidi Town Council and former Northland board members.When he announced the sale this month, Mbok mentioned that he would drop the corruption charges he had levelled against the town council and former board members, which included Ambassador Shapua Kaukungua.Kavaongelwa said they would be starting on a clean slate and would pay the town council the outstanding money required to relocate the families still living at the project site.He said the new owners had made an agreement with Mbok to go through a three-month transfer period.After the transition period, Kavaongelwa said his company would meet the architects involved in the project to discuss starting the construction.Construction of Northland City is envisaged to take 18 to 20 months Kavaongelwa said the project would have many benefits for Namibia, including job and wealth creation.He said the project would also establish a fund for the community, which would directly benefit orphans and widows and widowers, adding that a percentage of their profits would be dedicated to vulnerable people.”The benefits from this project are innumerable and once completed, they will be visible to everyone.But also as businessmen we were motivated by the profits, so it made sense to buy Northland,” said Kavaongelwa.