These are members of the Shack Dwellers Federation and Namibia Housing Action Group who do not have houses, joined by members of the public and business community.
Everyone used shovels to shift sand alongside a bulldozer.
Erongo Regional Governor Cleophas Mutjavikua initiated the idea of volunteerism to cut the labour costs of servicing land.
Brickmaking machines donated to the groups earlier this year are used by community members to make bricks to build their houses.
Speaking to Nampa at the site, Co-Director of the Namibia Housing Action Group Heinrich Amushila said Narraville Extension 11 has been cleared and will have 68 plots.
He said there is more land for 100 plots still to be cleared in the same area.
“Overall the municipality approved 368 plots. There is a waiting list of 2 800 people of whom 148 already received houses last year in Walvis Bay,” Amushila said.
Saturday also marked the first construction of 100 houses in Narraville. This project was launched by Deputy Minister of Urban and Rural Development Derek Klazen.
Klazen said the 68 plots were already approved in 2007 but bureaucracy delayed the process.
Central Government, he said, is in the process of speeding up the land delivery process by decentralising some work to regional government.
This will be possible through the Urban and Regional Planning Bill which is expected to be discussed later this month in Parliament.
“I promise you all these long processes will stop, just continue working even if it is not your land today; tomorrow it is yours,” said the deputy minister.
The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development allocates N.dollars 7 million to the housing association annually.
Walvis Bay Mayor Immanuel Wilfred said this is another milestone in delivering much needed housing to people of the harbour town, while Mutjavikua’s advisor, Adelheid Kandjala, encouraged the community to continue working in unison.
Companies such as China Harbour Engineering Company, Coastal Precast & Paving, Build it, Pupkewitz MegaBuild, Standard Bank Namibia, FNB Namibia, Neo Paint, and Ohorongo Cement support the associations financially and materially.
On Saturday, some provided food and drinks to everyone working at the site.
The shifting of sand lasted until the afternoon and is expected to continue next year.
