Waterfront to create much-needed jobs, development

The Goreangab Waterfront, once its complete, will bring development to a neglected area and will stimulate new development in Windhoek. However, it is still not clear when the project will take off.
“It is hard to say [when construction will commence] but the whole project will take five years. The final approval by [the Windhoek City] Council was just a month ago and we are currently finalising the layout for final approval by City of Windhoek. We are also conducting a demographic study to find out what range of houses and services will be needed,” said Kombadayedu ‘KK’ Kapwanga, managing director of Greenbuilding Construction, developers of the Goreangab Waterfront.
The project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) was completed and a clearance certificate was granted by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, last year. Ministerial approval for the sale of the land where the project will be developed has also been obtained.
According to George Mayumbelo, strategic executive: Economic Development and Community Services at the City of Windhoek, the project will be beneficial to the adjacent communities.
“It is not just the adjacent communities that will benefit from the project but Windhoek at large. It is envisaged that the development will employ 2840 temporary employees for a period of six to 48 months while there will be 540 permanent fixed and contractual employees. A new commercial development will bring services closer to the people like supermarkets, clothing shops, restaurants and furniture shops where people currently have to travel long distances,” said Mayumbelo.
He added that the development will also ensure that wetlands and natural vegetation along the dam shore is restored and that the waterfront will stimulate and contribute to the tourism development of the area.
The waterfront development will be developed on 40.92 hectares, excluding the Penduka welfare organisation and the municipal braai area along the Goreangab dam.
The proposed waterfront project will include recreational, residential and commercial sections. The project will consist of a shopping mall, restaurants, a school, a clinic, a police station and a post office. The total cost to construct the development is N$800 million according to Kapwanga.
Green Building Construction is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sakawe Mining Corporation (Samicor), which is 76% owned by the Lev Leviev Group of Companies.