The City of Windhoek (CoW) on Thursday handed over houses to eight beneficiaries as part of its Windhoek Municipal Council Affordable Housing Pilot Programme.

The houses are situated in the Khomasdal residential area.

Minister of Urban and Rural Development Erastus Uutoni, while officially handing over the houses, said the handing over signals hope for the future of affordable housing.

“The Local Authority Act (Act No 23 of 1992), as amended, mandates local authorities including the Municipal Council of Windhoek to administer the local affairs of its stakeholders through planning, coordination and partnership to deliver municipal services such as the provision of adequate and sustainable access to affordable serviced land and housing for all income groups,” said Uutoni.

Also in attendance was Windhoek Mayor Joseph Uapingene, who said as chairperson of the Land Delivery and Affordable Housing Advisory Sub-Committee, he takes particular pride in celebrating and witnessing the handover of houses five months after the ground-breaking ceremony, held in September last year.

“The menace of mushrooming informal settlements and lack of long-term sustainable solutions remains a constant threat to our economy, health, safety and productivity. In response, we need affordable housing,” Uapingene said.

The prices of the houses range from N.dollars 850 000 to N.dollars 1.2 million.

The Affordable Housing Pilot Programme involved the identification and servicing of appropriate vacant erven for the construction of houses by experienced and reputable building contractors.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency