Deputy Minister for Urban and Rural Development Mrs Evelyn !Nawases-Taeyele put her thump of approval to the construction of a new bitumen road and the construction of a sewer reticulation system in Oshakati.
!Nawases-Taeyele, accompanied by Oshana Governor Elia Irimari and Oshakati Mayor Leonard Hango, was on 17 May 2024 at Evululuko location of Oshakati, where she threw the first shovel which symbolised the commencement of work on the new capital projects.
“Today marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts towards inclusive urban development and the enhancement of living standards for all residents of this beloved town of Oshakati,” !Nawases-Taeyele said.
“As we gather here to commission the groundbreaking ceremony of two major projects in Oshakati namely, the construction of a new bitumen road and intersection of the MR111 road, MR 92 Intersection to the value of N$ 7 366 411.75 (Seven Million three hundred and Sixty six thousand four hundred and eleven Namibian dollars seventy five cents),
“As well as the construction of the sewer reticulation system in Evululuko Oshakati to the value of N$ 4 925 330.86 (Four Million Nine hundred and twenty five thousand three hundred and thirty Namibian dollars eighty six cents),
“I would like to mention that coming up with these huge amounts of money is not easy and Oshakati Town Council made it a priority to ensure that the residents of the town have access to basic services such as sufficient connection to the sewer reticulation network for each household as well as the provision of proper and safe access roads to major trading spaces such as the Dr. Frans Aupa Indongo Open market, through the construction of the road that we are commissioning today.”
The deputy minister also stated that she has been informed that the Town of Oshakati aims to formalize all its informal settlements and the construction of sewer reticulation is part of the formalization process where residents will have access to basic services such as connection to the electricity network for all households, connection to the water reticulation network and sewer network and even road access to their respective homes.
“This is exactly what we are witnessing today here in Evululuko.
“Additionally to this, I also have been informed that Oshakati Town Council will allow the residents of Evululuko to connect to these sewerage lines for free, with no payment at all for a period of a year upon completion of this project.
“Hence, I applaud Oshakati Town Council for this great initiative and I urge the residents of Evululuko to fully take advantage of this offer by Oshakati Town Council.
“I am therefore filled with a profound sense of purpose and optimism for this transformational journey that lies ahead for Oshakati.”
She further said that these two projects will create direct jobs within the community of Oshakati for artisans, labourers and opportunities for engineers, vendors and suppliers, transporters, quarry operators and others in the construction value chain.
“I also believe that upon completion, these projects will permanently transform the lives of Oshakati residents, through smooth road access to the Oshakati’s Dr. Frans Aupa Indongo open market.
According to the deputy minister, through this specific road infrastructure project the revenues of the vendors at the open market will grow as they will receive even more customers as a result of this direct access to their business facility.
“I would like to express my gratitude to the leadership of Oshakati and to all those who have contributed to making these projects a reality.
“It is therefore my honour and privilege to officially commission these two projects, the construction of the new bitumen road and intersection as well as the construction of the new sewer reticulation system in Evululuko.”
In the photo: Deputy Minister of Urban and Rural Development Mrs Evelyn !Nawases-Taeyele throwing the first shovel at the construction of a sewer reticulation system in Oshakati.