Construction of municipal houses begins
The first brick to mark the commencement of the construction of eight municipal houses in Khomasdal was laid yesterday morning.The houses are the first of 1 200 expected to be constructed under the City of Windhoek Affordable Housing Programme in the next four years. The houses will be built on a portion of land located on the corner of Florence Nightingale and Visarend Streets in Khomasdal.
The price of the eight houses, which include the land, ranges from N$850 000 for a 312m² plot (which is the smallest plot of the eight) to N$1.2 million for a 1022m² plot.
The houses will be allocated to qualified first-time buyers on the Council’s waiting list.
Launching the project, Windhoek mayor Sade Gawanas said Council anticipates spending N$868 million building affordable houses for residents in the next four years and in so doing, creating 15 000 employment opportunities over the same period.
The City of Windhoek Council Housing Scheme has various components aimed at providing housing solutions to residents in various income categories, namely:
• The Informal Settlement Upgrading Housing Programme that focuses on ultra-low-income residents living in informal areas who earn an income of less than N$3 500 per month, and have a title deed, are leasing, or have been issued with a certificate of land occupation and are in areas that are already serviced but have no income to build a formal structure.
• Council’s affordable housing programme which focuses on low- to middle-income residents who earn an income between N$3 500 and N$25 000 per month in formal areas and different housing typologies ranging from N$300 000 to N$650 000 excluding the land.
• Employer–Employee Housing Programme that focuses on employer groups that wish to provide housing solutions to their employees through their employee housing schemes.
• Rent and Rent to Own Housing Programme, with one component focusing on residents who may not want to buy a property but need accommodation for a period of time, and a second leg focusing on residents whose economic status at the time may not permit them to purchase a property, and they enter into an agreement for rent to own for a period, where they will be renting with the option to buy once their economic status has improved.
The Employer-Employee Housing Programme and the Rent and Rent to Own Housing Programme are yet to be launched.