City of Windhoek continues to bridge housing gap – 100 affordable houses handed over to informal settlement dwellers
The City of Windhoek officially handed over 100 houses under the Informal Settlement Upgrading Affordable Housing Pilot Project (ISUHPP) at an event held in Freedomland on Wednesday.
Since the launch of the project in 2020 in partnership with Namibia Housing Enterprise (NHE), Mayor of the City of Windhoek, Sade Gawanas said they have completed the construction of 410 houses, while a further 40 houses are currently under construction.
“Addressing housing affordability is the most cost-effective way of lifting people out of poverty-reducing childhood poverty and increasing economic mobility because having affordable housing development in the neighbourhood does not only positively impact the surrounding communities, but also reflect or effort in restoring dignity for our people,” she added.
The Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni called on the project partners to redouble their efforts and work in unison to provide affordable housing to the residents of Windhoek.
“I want to call on you to remain focused and committed to the project and do everything possible to overcome challenges,” he emphasised.
One of the beneficiaries, Michael Nghishiti thanked the project partners for taking them out of shacks into formal housing.
To date over 400 affordable houses have been constructed under the project in the various informal settlement, including Havana Proper, Havana Extension 1, Onyika No. 2, Goreangab Extension 4, Greenwell Matongo, Otjomuise Extension 8 and 9 and Freedomland A and B.
The municipal authority meanwhile said that a one-bedroom house under the project costs N$155,000 including land, while a two-bedroom house costs N$196,000 including land.
“The houses can be paid off over up to 25 years, and, both houses come with solar geysers and a plan for future expansion of up to three-bedroom, furthermore, the project targets residents with an income of less than N$10,000 per month,” emphasised the City.
The ISUHPP project is an initiative of the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, the City of Windhoek, the National Housing Enterprise and the Khomas Regional Council and interested residents living in the targeted informal settlement should contact Ogone Thataone (CoW) at 290 3417 or Tjitemisa Virgina (NHE) at 276122.
