35 community members of Aranos in the Hardap Region will soon become proud homeowners, as the town addresses the issue of providing affordable housing to residents.

The residents are beneficiaries of the Aranos Town Council's Build Together Programme, which had been dormant for the past six years. 

The Council recently held a groundbreaking ceremony to officially launch the construction of 27 two-bedroom houses, each built at a cost of N$80,000. 

In addition, the Council aims to complete eight partially built houses whose construction had stalled for the past six years.

"I want to draw everyone's attention to the newly established NDP6. There is a strategic direction set for us as leaders and citizens to follow, and the programs outlined in that document are the ones that are supposed to be at the core of our operations, and housing is just one of them," said Meline Classen, Chairperson of the Aranos Town Council.

For many, a house is more than a physical structure of bricks and cement; it is a place of belonging, a sanctuary where dignity is affirmed.

"There are those who don't have anywhere to call home. They lack permanent housing and instead sleep in makeshift homes constructed from boxes. And today, I am truly grateful that I will have a house," said one of the grateful beneficiaries, Agnes Kootjie.

Aranos Deputy Mayor Willem Oarum, formerly a beneficiary of the scheme, spoke of the importance of owning a home, adding that "moving from a corrugated iron house to a brick house feels like you were poor and you are now rich, and that happiness will never leave you. So I was also a beneficiary, and I had to check on my foundation every day. I had to ensure that the workers poured the concrete. I felt as if the house was already complete. So I know how you feel."

According to the Chief Executive Officer of the Aranos Town Council, Gerson Tjitaura, the town has a housing backlog of 3,000 units, a situation he plans to address during his tenure.