Khomas is working says governor

Security issues prompted by easy access by the public and the broken down condition of the Windhoek Correctional Facility have spurred calls for a new prison outside of Windhoek, while the Windhoek municipality was asked to speed up provision of land for this project. “I appeal to the local authority to expedite the allocation of land to the Ministry of Safety and Security, in order to relocate the Windhoek Correctional Facility from the centre of town,” Khomas governor Laura Mcleod-Katjirua urged last week. The governor said the prison is in a dilapidated state and that the relocation of the prison, including its approximately 900 inmates, to a more secluded area would solve many of the challenges it faces due to its location and age. “Due to its location, there is easy access to the facility by the public, leading to security threats such as the smuggling in of drugs, dangerous weapons and other prohibited items through the fence.”During the annual State of the Region (SORA) address this week, the governor noted that the construction of the female unit at the Windhoek prison is 78% completed, and should be completed by August this year.The project began eight years ago, in 2009 and was suspended by the works ministry in September 2014 due to depleted funds. Work resumed on the project in April this year. Projects abound In another project earmarked in Windhoek by the Ministry of Safety and Security, the municipality has allocated 26.67 hectares for the construction of a police village in the city.Another portion of land, erf 3270 in Okuryangava, was allocated to the ministry for the construction of a police station and police barracks. The City recently agreed to set aside erf 7152, measuring 1.5 hectares, to the safety ministry for the accommodation of junior ranking officials “in a high density but sustainable development”. The sale price is yet to be determined. A total of 41.9 hectares of city land was provided by the municipality to the defence ministry for official residential accommodation for uniformed staff. Neither the costs of the project nor the location of the erven were specified by the governor.In line with the drive for housing, the City of Windhoek is currently installing municipal services on a 65.5 hectare area.The Greenfield development of the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, in partnership with the City, will make provision for 314 residential erven, five housing blocks, and five open spaces.Although the N$64-million project was launched in March 2016, the Roads Contractor Company, which was appointed as the contractor of the project, said the deadline of end of July will not be reached, and has been extended to December “due to technical and logistical hiccups beyond our control”. Too little space, too many kids The City also approved a portion of erf 1037 in Havana for the education ministry on a long-term lease with the option to buy. The purpose was not stated at SORA.While there are currently 99 class groups, spread among 38 primary schools in the region, 46 classrooms and three new ablution blocks at schools were constructed in 2016. Two of these classrooms however are containers, the governor explained Tuesday. In addition, 38 new classrooms and one ablution block are under construction and should be completed before the end of the second financial quarter of 2017.Two primary and three secondary schools were also newly established, Mcleod-Katjirua said. The primary schools are located in Moses Garoëb and Tobias Hainyeko, and the secondary schools are situated in Samora Machel and Khomasdal. Upkeep and renovations A N$42 million renovation and extension project is 65% completed as part of the construction of new offices and upgrades of the existing headquarters of the fisheries ministry in Windhoek. Construction of the new offices and warehouse of the agriculture ministry is 55% complete. In line with concerns expressed by some that the upkeep of government infrastructure is not maintained at necessary levels, the governor revealed details provided by the maintenance division of the works ministry.Close to N$8 million was spent for maintenance and more than 74% of civil work service requests were completed, with 351 outstanding of 1 597 requests received. Close to a 100% of electrical work service requests were completed, with 11 transferred and none outstanding. More than 90% of mechanical work serve requests were completed. JANA-MARI SMITH

Khomas is working says governor

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-01-23

Please login to leave a comment

Khomas is working says governor

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-01-23

Please login to leave a comment

Login