Flamingo - Business Industry - Alternative technology to tackle housing shortage
Is it even possible? This situation is not entirely unique to the capital. A similar situation is developing in other larger towns in the country as well. As a matter of fact, Namibia isn’t the only country in the SADC region battling with this dilemma. In neighbouring South Africa the situation is also an unsettling cause for concern, also in Botswana.
The message was loud and clear at the recent Regional Housing Conference and Exhibition held by the Southern African Housing Foundation (SAHF) in Swakopmund. The conference, organised in collaboration with Namibia’s National Housing Enterprise (NHE) and the Swakopmund Municipality, was an eye-opener. The need for affordable housing using sustainable alternative technology is paramount to rectify the imbalance. Two main stumbling blocks stand in the way of developers – costs and the availability of land.
The conference attracted delegates concerned with low-cost housing from all over the region, with various academics, CEOs and company directors appearing as guest speakers at the event. The aim was to bring everyone under one roof so that ideas on innovation could be exchanged and delegates could interact, network and make new contacts in a mutual environment.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom though. There seems to be a glimmer of hope. Alternative construction methods are nothing new in many parts of the world. The use of innovative techniques in building low-cost homes is already being used to great effect to alleviate the shortage of housing for those who have low incomes.
The SAHF’s regional representative in Namibia, Mr Horst Fritze, was instrumental in organising the event and involving various construction companies.
The aim was to construct a show village in the DRC area of Mondesa in Swakopmund. The village was to contain low-cost houses of various designs and built by different companies. The village would then be opened for public viewing and people could place their orders. The whole project turned out to be a resounding success.
The village was officially opened by the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Housing, Mr Kaze-nambo Kazenambo; Botswana’s Minister of Lands and Housing, Mr Nonofo Molefi; the Mayor of Swakopmund, Mrs Germina Shitaleni; and the CEO of the Southern African Housing Foundation, Mr John Hopkins.
The companies that built the houses each made use of its own designs in the construction of the show houses. Each had one main objective and that was to keep the cost down. Could decent homes be built that would fall within a price range that would open up the housing market to people who thus far have been denied this opportunity? Such people are an immense portion of the Namibian population.
The answer was a loud and positive yes.
The various companies introduced the officials and the public to an interesting selection of innovative ideas and alternative construction methods that not only cut costs but also greatly reduced the construction time needed. Some companies even used building methods that required almost no skilled labour.
Materials ranged from renovated shipping containers to prefabricated constructions and plastic-moulded cast walling. Even expanded polystyrene casts for building structures were on display. The possibilities for alternative materials and means for building seem almost limitless. Especially important was the fact that these structures could be completed in less than a week.
Most of the houses that made up the SAHF show village in Swakopmund consisted of one or two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen and lounge. Several have solar panels that heat water and supply electricity to the dwelling. The costs of the homes include the property they are built on.
As the Deputy Minister of Housing stressed during his opening speech, it is not just a house or a roof over their heads, but a new start in life for many of those who could not previously afford it. This was well illustrated when Moladi Namibia decided to surprise two of its long-standing employees by handing them the keys to the two homes they had built, as a thank you in recognition of their dedicated service to the company.
The employees, Mr Tuafeni Johannes and Mrs Martha Haubas, were surprised on the day by their employers when they were summoned to the houses by the Deputy Minister of Housing and the Mayor of Swakopmund to receive the keys to their new homes. When handing over the keys, the Deputy Minister pointed out the importance of dedicated workers being recognised for their contribution to the company they worked for.
The whole experience of the SAHF Regional Housing Conference and Exhibition left each present with a positive outlook on the future as far as affordable housing was concerned. It was encouraging to see that there were easy and available solutions at our disposal.
It is evident that with the support from government, municipal officials, construction companies and individual Namibians, it is possible to supply affordable, low-cost housing to most of Namibia’s needy, and as the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Housing put it, supply them with a new start in life.
Let us not forget the words of one of the delegates at the conference, Dr Luxien Ariyan, Head of Policy Research and Information at the National Housing Finance Corporation in South Africa, when he said: “It’s ironic that low-income housing decisions are made in five-star hotels.”
