Oshakati plots nearly readyRoughly 807 serviced plots will be ready for allocation at Oshakati following swift progress by the Massive Urban Land Servicing Project.
The installation of services such as water, sewerage, storm-water drainage, roads and electricity supply at Ehenye is costing the Urban and Rural Development Ministry N$139 million.
The work is being done by the Nexus Group. The partners in the project are Windhoek Consulting Engineers (WCE), Lithon Project Consultants and Conselect Engineering, which offered their services at a 40% discount.
The Oshakati town council made land available for the project in Ehenye and Ompumbu following President Hage Geingob’s blitz visit in 2015 to identify sites to reduce the housing shortage. The project is expected to create 2 932 erven in the two townships.
The work currently under way at Ehenye is expected to provide 326 plots at Extension 2 and 7, 320 plots at Extension 3 and 8 and 161 plots at Ehenye proper.
Oshakati town council spokesperson Katarina Kamari said the council was confident that the plots would be ready for allocation by January 2017.
“The project is progressing well and currently the contractor has completed 52% of the work at Extensions 2 and 7, 54% at Extensions 3 and 8 and 48% at Ehenye proper. We are confident that by January work will be completed and allocations will start,” Kamari said.
During the site handover at Extensions 3 and 8 last year, Minister Sophia Shaningwa said the aim of the project was to make serviced urban land available to people at affordable cost. That would only be possible if the costs were minimised through contributions, such as reduced charges by consulting professionals and contractors, bulk procurement of materials, and volunteer work by the community, she said.
Once these plots are completed they will be followed by land servicing at Ehenye Extension 1, Ompumbu Extensions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 and Ompumbu proper. That will provide a combined 2 125 plots.