Building leased without certification

- 2017-02-16 00:00:00

The City of Windhoek (CoW) has decided to lease the former Rhino garment factory living quarters and dining hall without the relevant certification and an approved building plan.

According to a document availed at a recent council meeting, the CoW management has decided to lease part of the building block and the dining hall to Afrikuumba (PTY)Ltd/CargoKuumba Planning and Design since 2015 in a two-year contract at a cost of N$24 151.07 per month.

“It is noted that leasing out the buildings in the absence of relevant certification, places council at significant risk due to the possibility of fire, structural and electrical defects,” read the document.

The Rhino Garment Factory is part of the Malaysian Ramatex Textile complex in Otjomuise that was constructed without a city building plan in 2001.

It noted that although the city has not actively marketed the sites by publishing a tender due to the absence of approved building plans and that the buildings are in a dilapidated state, parts of the complex attracted interest from different organisations and commercial entities willing to rent the space.

The city received applications ranging from a medium-term lease over three years for learners’ tutorial and student accommodation purposes, to a long-term lease or purchase to establish a manufacturing facility and create long-term employment.

During the January council meeting council members approved the application of Afrikuumba/CargoKuumba Planning and Design to enter into a lease for the dining hall for a period of six months, with a one-month reciprocal notice period should the premises be needed for municipal purposes. They also recommended that the city management call for expressions of interest for the lease of the former Rhino Garment living quarters and the area between the buildings.

Mayor Muesee Kazapua referred Nampa to spokesperson Lydia Amutenya of the CoW public relations division, who said she has forwarded the questions to the relevant department but a response was still awaited. (NAMPA)