The Urban and Rural Development Minister has urged the National Housing Enterprise – NHE – to ensure that houses are occupied immediately after completion. Sophia Shaningwa was speaking at Eenhana in Ohangwena region on Tuesday, during the handing over of 284 houses which remained unoccupied for three years. She said the handing over would reduce the housing shortage, now standing at over 100 000 and deliver the 20 000 houses planned for the Harambee Prosperity Plan. The Minister warned that failure to hand over houses timeoulsy to recipients would send the wrong message to the nation of an uncaring government. Shaningwa appealed to local authorities to consider the NHE and developers of affordable housing when planning and availing land for development. She encouraged the NHE to engage local authorities from the initial stages of planning and design until the houses had been allocated. Detective Sergeant Rosalia Kadjulume, a beneficiary, said she had been renting accommodation for the past eight years. The Eenhana Town Council said it was hard at work to avail land for services and alleviate the housing needs of the regional capital’s 16 000 residents.