There is progress in the implementation of the National Informal Settlement Upgrading Project at Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.

This is according to the National Housing Enterprise (NHE), which has appointed a pool of contractors to speed up the construction of houses.

The NHE Manager for Corporate Communications and Marketing visited the construction sites in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.

Mutonga Matali informed the media that 79 houses are being built at Kuisebmond, while 73 houses are under construction in Swakopmund.

"This site was only handed over to contractors last month, in November, and you can see that there has been significant progress here as a result of the decision NHE took to appoint a pool of contractors to work on this project. You have 16 contractors with teams of 160 employees working here. As a result, some houses are already at roof level after just one month of construction. This approach is really accelerating progress."

Matali indicated that NHE is working with the municipalities to finalise the list of beneficiaries.

He added that the state-owned company is lobbying municipalities to make more serviced land available for the construction of houses in informal settlements.

"We are optimistic at NHE that we will overcome the housing challenge in the country. Of course, with the support of all key stakeholders, we should be able to get over the line, and we will do so through initiatives like this, where more than 79 houses are being delivered in less than three months. We engaged all local authorities, and the positive response we received was very encouraging. We are now at a stage where this project is being implemented in almost all local authorities across the country.  We always emphasise the issue of serviced land because once land is expensive, the cost of servicing it is transferred to the client when they purchase a house. If the land is affordable, it means the house will also be affordable."

The construction of the houses is expected to be completed by the end of January 2026.

Apart from the two projects in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, NHE has also been allocated 3 extensions at Farm 37, on the outskirts of Walvis Bay, to build houses for residents.