Builders abandon Nujoma's house

THE construction of former President Sam Nujoma's new house estimated to cost around N$20 million has been abandoned because the government failed to pay the builders.

The money meant for the project, the sources said, was diverted by the Presidency to another renovation that is ongoing at State House. Since the construction of presidential houses are largely secretive, The Namibian could not get details of the Chinese company which got the contract and the names of local companies that were subcontracted. Nujoma's house is situated on the outskirts of Windhoek, alongside the road linking the capital city to Namibia's international airport, named after Namibia's liberation hero Hosea Kutako. The construction of the house, close to President Hage Geingob's private residence, Casa Rosalia in Klein Windhoek, was initially an attempt to do security upgrades, but it had to be demolished to make way for a modern structure. Nujoma has been temporarily sheltered at a government house in Windhoek's Eros Park since work on the house began in 2015. Sources, however, said the stoppage has forced the former President to stay at his farm, situated around 30 kilometres south of Otavi. Nujoma's personal assistant, John Nauta, declined to comment this week, saying the works ministry is better placed to respond to questions. The Namibian confirmed with sources that although the house is 95% completed, the inside part of the house is not finished because contractors stopped working due to non-payments.