HOW much the new State House being built on the outskirts of Windhoek will eventually cost the Namibian taxpayer will only be known once the project has been completed.
This was revealed in Parliament at the end of last week. Costs to date have been put at N$396 203 698, but the presidential residence still has to be built.Budget figures for the controversial State House project have varied over the years – N$186 million (quoted in the National Assembly in April 2002), and then N$264 million as set out in Namibia’s Second Development Plan.More recently the price tag was put at around N$440 million, which was later adjusted to N$500 million, but with the second half of the project still to be tackled, the costs might be much higher, according to experts.The State House complex is one of the single most expensive public construction projects Government has embarked on since Independence.It is being built in the Auasblick residential area.According to Works, Transport and Communications Minister Joel Kaapanda, the administration block, staff accommodation, quarters for security guards and guests have been completed.Kaapanda was replying to a question from DTA President Katuutire Kaura in Parliament last Thursday.The price of N$396,2 million does not include furniture for the completed buildings.In addition, major tasks still pending are the construction of a landing pad for a helicopter, the presidential residence, landscaping, earthwork and the upgrading of the power supply.”Compensation for the people affected by the project must also still be paid,” Kaapanda said.”The total amount for the construction of State House will only be known when the project is completed,” the Minister added.He did not state if the N$27 million that the City of Windhoek had demanded from Government for the 23-hectare plot – on which the residence is being constructed – has been included in the costs so far.Costs to date have been put at N$396 203 698, but the presidential residence still has to be built.Budget figures for the controversial State House project have varied over the years – N$186 million (quoted in the National Assembly in April 2002), and then N$264 million as set out in Namibia’s Second Development Plan.More recently the price tag was put at around N$440 million, which was later adjusted to N$500 million, but with the second half of the project still to be tackled, the costs might be much higher, according to experts.The State House complex is one of the single most expensive public construction projects Government has embarked on since Independence.It is being built in the Auasblick residential area.According to Works, Transport and Communications Minister Joel Kaapanda, the administration block, staff accommodation, quarters for security guards and guests have been completed.Kaapanda was replying to a question from DTA President Katuutire Kaura in Parliament last Thursday.The price of N$396,2 million does not include furniture for the completed buildings.In addition, major tasks still pending are the construction of a landing pad for a helicopter, the presidential residence, landscaping, earthwork and the upgrading of the power supply. “Compensation for the people affected by the project must also still be paid,” Kaapanda said.”The total amount for the construction of State House will only be known when the project is completed,” the Minister added.He did not state if the N$27 million that the City of Windhoek had demanded from Government for the 23-hectare plot – on which the residence is being constructed – has been included in the costs so far.
