The construction of more than 300 houses at Extension 8, in Swakopmund's Matutura Residential Areas, which had been put on hold for five years due to a court dispute, will soon resume.

This was announced by the Minister of Urban and Rural Development during the handing over of the site for resumption and completion.
 
Erastus Uutoni signed off on a contract with New Era Investments to complete the construction of 319 houses left uncompleted, within eighteen months.
 
The 319 homes are a portion of the 891 homes that were planned to be built at Swakopmund through the Mass Housing Program in 2013.

Ferusa Capital won the contract through the National Housing Enterprise and hired New Era Investments and Desert Paving and Construction as subcontractors to build the houses.

However, the company failed to settle some of the payments.

"Accordingly, the Cabinet has directed that the disputes that have held up the completion of the 891 commenced-but-uncompleted houses, of which 505 are here in Swakopmund, 362 in Windhoek and 24 in Opuwo, must be resolved and the houses completed and handed over to beneficiaries in the shortest possible time. I am informed that the first group of one hundred and eleven houses of the 319 houses on this site is envisaged to be completed within a period of six months," said Uutoni.

Also speaking at the event was the Governor of the Erongo Region, Neville Andre.

"The majority of people who migrate end up in informal settlements, adding to the already crowded settlements or establishing new settlements through illegal land occupation. That is a challenge that we face every day because of the influx. "

Andre also expressed concern about the growing number of informal settlements that lack basic services such as electricity, safe drinking water, and sanitation.