NHE hands over 34 new homes in Mariental

The National Housing Enterprise (NHE) handed over 34 houses in Aimablaagte, Mariental, to new owners last Thursday.


The N$6.6 million development was undertaken by contractor Alnaa Capital Investments in October 2024 and completed on 26 June this year. Speaking at the event, Hastings Tjipueja, vice-chairperson of the NHE board, said the handover was “not merely a construction achievement but a strategic investment in social stability, economic empowerment and community transformation”. He said the construction project had created employment opportunities for 150 local residents.


Tjipueja highlighted the NHE’s new strategic business plan, adopted a few weeks ago. He said the enterprise had since shown renewed enthusiasm and commitment to meeting the targets set out in its five-year roadmap.“The approach of appointing a pool of contractors across all regions is already showing positive results, with between five and 15 houses allocated to each contractor, reducing the delivery period to less than five months,” the vice-chairperson said. “These 34 houses are the result of collective efforts,” Tjipueja added. Tjipueja noted that a majority of local authorities are cooperating as instructed by the ministry and that meaningful progress is being made with the upgrade project. “It is my strong belief that, with the necessary support, the NHE will deliver the target of 2 000 houses set for the enterprise for this financial year,” he said.


Better living - Deputy minister of urban and rural development Evelyn !Nawases-Taeyele, speaking at the handover, highlighted other successes the NHE has achieved in recent months. She cited the delivery of 64 houses at Ondangwa, 30 at Omuthiya and 52 at Okakarara, which she officially handed over about two months ago. She said the government recognises people’s rights to adequate living standards and housing and has made the provision of land and access to decent housing a priority in the revised national housing policy. “We are all aware of the far-reaching challenges that come with housing shortages, especially in our informal settlements, which affect health, education and economic prosperity at both the family and national levels,” she said.


!Nawases-Taeyele stressed that land delivery is one of the most critical factors in urban development. “It is unacceptable that the land-delivery process is complicated and lengthy, because it affects every other area of development, including housing.” The deputy minister added that President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s administration has, since March, been investing in land services and housing delivery, particularly in overcrowded informal settlements. She noted that the NHE’s construction of 160 houses during the initial phase of the informal settlements upgrade programme in Windhoek is now being extended to Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. She added that the housing enterprise has also begun building on 3 800 plots in Rundu, Nkurenkuru, Katima Mulilo and the coastal towns. !Nawases-Taeyele added that it is unacceptable for the NHE to struggle to afford land from local authorities, as this denies residents the opportunity for decent accommodation. “I acknowledge the effort made by the Mariental Town Council’s leadership to make land available for this wonderful initiative, helping to speed up the delivery of housing in the town,” she said.