Sankwasa plans SA trip to assess 'cheap' housing factory
The government’s push for alternative low-cost housing solutions appears to be gathering momentum, with plans now underway to assess a South African manufacturing model that could be replicated in Namibia as part of efforts to address the country’s housing backlog.
Speaking to Network Media Hub (NMH) on Wednesday, Minister of Urban and Rural Development James Sankwasa said a delegation comprising officials from various local authorities will travel to South Africa before the end of June to inspect the factory behind the alternative building technology currently being showcased in Namibia.
Sankwasa said the visit forms part of the government's due diligence before any large-scale rollout is considered.
“I’m a bit of a doubting Thomas in my approach. I don’t want to deal with an investor that I know on paper, but I don’t know physically,” he said.
According to the minister, the team will inspect where the construction materials used in the Katutura demonstration house are being manufactured and assess whether the model can realistically be localised in Namibia.
The latest development comes months after President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah publicly called for faster and cheaper housing delivery methods, including direct procurement approaches aimed at cutting construction costs and accelerating housing provision.
Sankwasa said importing large volumes of materials for a mass housing project would not be sustainable or affordable.
“We don’t want to import. We want to manufacture on the ground in Namibia so that the price comes down,” he said.
He added that the government is exploring the establishment of a local factory and distribution warehouses across the country to reduce transport and material costs associated with housing delivery.
“If we are able to build about 5 000 to 10 000 houses, we cannot import all of the materials. It’s too expensive,” he said.
The minister revealed that several local authorities have already expressed readiness to participate in the project by identifying serviced land for possible housing developments.
Among the towns mentioned were Arandis, Ondangwa and Katima Mulilo, while Acharongo has also reportedly made land available for the proposed factory setup.
Sankwasa stressed that municipalities and town councils themselves would determine beneficiaries based on existing housing waiting lists and available serviced plots.
“The local authorities know the list of applicants that they have on their lists whom they are failing to allocate land,” he said.
Meanwhile, ABT Panels Namibia chief operating officer Teddy Ditsabatho confirmed to NMH on Thursday that engagements between the company and various government stakeholders are already at an advanced stage.
Ditsabatho said representatives from the National Housing Enterprise, Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia, Karibib Town Council and Otjiwarongo Municipality recently travelled to South Africa on a familiarisation trip to inspect the company’s original equipment manufacturing partners and housing technology.
He added that another visit involving the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development is already being planned.
According to Ditsabatho, ABT Namibia is also engaging vocational training institutions to introduce specialised courses aimed at training and certifying Namibians in the company’s building system.
“We have been sending local artisans for training at various sites in South Africa to get on-site training,” he said.
He further revealed that discussions over land allocation for a possible production facility in Namibia are progressing positively.
“We are at advanced talks with the municipality. They have indeed offered us land which we are currently under talks about,” he said.
Ditsabatho said localising production and labour would be critical in reducing housing costs and making the project financially viable.
“If production and labour was localised coupled with existing government facilities, then there is a real possibility of the houses being built for that price range,” he said.
The company has already completed an eight-bedroom teachers’ quarter at Helao Nafidi Primary School in Okongo-Oshiti using the alternative building system, while several municipalities and town councils have reportedly shown interest in establishing demonstration houses.
With Namibia’s housing backlog continuing to grow, Ditsabatho argued that unconventional measures are needed.
“The housing situation in Namibia is a crisis and should be treated as such,” he said.
