The Leonardville Village Council, through the Build Together programme, is set to complete 14 houses before the end of this year.

According to the Village Council Chairperson, Petra Witbooi, the council decided to revive the project to address the housing backlog.

The list has 75 applicants, and out of that figure, only 14 houses have been built, although the plan was to build 100 houses for the period of 2021 to 2025.

The project has also given jobs to local young people, she said.

"This is the second phase of the housing project we are undertaking. The first seven houses we built in this same block have already been occupied, even though we haven't officially handed them over yet. There is a housing need, so people would rather not wait; they have already occupied the houses, and now we are busy with the second phase, and we have selected seven beneficiaries. For that, we received N$540,000 from the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, and now we are busy with the current houses."

 All the materials for the project were sourced locally, and the tender was awarded to a local contractor to ensure the project benefits locals.

The council is also setting up streetlights and road upgrades.