Nekundi breaks ground for Wanaheda NaTIS centre, vows services closer to people

STAFF WRITER
Minister of works and transport Veikko Nekundi says the construction of the Wanaheda NaTIS Centre marks a turning point in how government delivers services.
The ground-breaking ceremony took place on Wednesday, 8 April 2026, in Wanaheda, Windhoek.
“It is with immense pride and a profound sense of purpose that I stand before you today at this ground-breaking ceremony to commence the actual construction of the Wanaheda NaTIS Centre,” Nekundi said. “This ceremony marks the turning of a new page in how we deliver services to the people of Namibia.”
Nekundi said a surprise visit to the NaTIS centre in the Northern Industrial area on 5 April 2025 revealed serious shortcomings.
“It was a regrettable experience. The facility was overwhelmed, and this compromised excellent service delivery,” he said.
He added that the situation particularly affected residents from Katutura and surrounding areas.
“There was little appreciation for the fact that the facility serves the downtrodden, who endure long walks just to receive that basic service,” he said.
Nekundi said the experience led to an immediate decision to build a new centre closer to communities.
“It was in that context that I took an on-the-spot decision that a new NaTIS centre must be established within the proximity of the grassroots,” he said.
He said a directive was issued to prioritise identifying a site and starting designs, rejecting a proposed site elsewhere.
“I rejected the construction of a new centre west of Pioneerspark,” he said.
The minister said a decision was taken to begin construction within 12 months.
“I am a happy person that this internal decision came to fruition,” he said.
Nekundi credited Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform Inge Zaamwani for availing land for the project.
“This underscores our total commitment as a government to bring services closer to our people,” he said.
He said the Wanaheda facility will be a fully-fledged one-stop NaTIS centre.
“Our people should not have to travel great distances and compete with heavy industrial traffic to access NaTIS services,” he said.
The centre will offer learner and driver testing, roadworthy testing for smaller and heavy vehicles, and permit services under one roof, and will include an intelligent driver testing system.
Nekundi said costs were reduced by using in-house expertise.
“By utilising our own in-house expertise, we have significantly reduced consulting costs,” he said.
He confirmed that the construction contract has been awarded to August 26 Construction.
“There is powerful symbolism in breaking ground on a facility for the Namibian people with a contractor that belongs to the Namibian people,” he said.
The project will also involve small and medium enterprise and emerging contractors.
“We do not merely talk about economic inclusion; we must practise it,” Nekundi said.
He said the project is expected to employ about 200 workers.
Nekundi said the Wanaheda project forms part of a broader national plan to upgrade NaTIS facilities in other towns.
“Our people in Walvis Bay, Oranjemund, Oshakati, Nkurenkuru, and Mariental deserve the same quality of service,” he said.
He added that upgrades to the NaTIS system are nearing completion.
“Our government sees its people, hears their frustrations, and is taking concrete action to respond,” he said