Urban and Rural Development Minister, Erastus Uutoni on Monday officially handed over 33 houses constructed by the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) at Tsandi in the Omusati Region.

In his remarks, Uutoni stated that the cost of housing makes it inaccessible for people to have homes, with middle to low income earners struggling to find decent housing.

“As the ministry responsible for housing, we are supportive of any initiative that provides houses that people can afford, especially those in the low to ultra-low income brackets and that is why I continue to urge key stakeholders such as NHE and local authorities or village councils to bring their part on board,” Uutoni said.

He added that the 33 families in Tsandi village would now be able to tick off an important item from their list of basic needs as they now have a decent shelter to call their own.

At the same event, NHE board chairperson Toska Sem highlighted that the shortage of serviced land and high pricing from local authorities and village councils are a challenge, which at times contributes to high costs when a housing project is done.

“The execution of housing programmes provides not only dwellings but also much needed relief in terms of job opportunities and business development for the residents. I am informed that about 100 local jobs were created as part of this project, and this is a testament to our philosophy of giving back to the societies that we operate in,” Sem said.

Sem expressed gratitude to the Tsandi Village Council for their support in availing affordable land to NHE and also the contractor, Kambwa Trading CC, for finishing the project.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency