housing/busses

Sharon · September 22, 2007, 07:02:01 AM

I would like to know if your housing and busses are still for free, I mean you don't have to pay rent or ride the bus for nothing. Thanks. And, do you use Rand now or has that changed to?

Clive Symes · September 22, 2007, 05:05:28 PM

Sharon, Its the Namibia dollar that used.
If people in Oranjemund had to pay for the houses there would be an uprising - can you imagine everyone wanting the GM's House - The mine cannot survive without the rigid structure of the Patterson system.

Clive Symes

Michael Alexander · September 22, 2007, 06:22:04 PM

I pay rent for my house in Oranjemund, being private , and my father has to pay an incredible R145.00 every month for his plot where his house/parkhome reside..... that include water, power and refuse.... and he has a room with a view.... he looks straight out onto those big dunes to the east of town, no tree's in the way and when the moon rises above those dunes....it's awesome.......
::)

barb (Fry) · September 23, 2007, 07:19:11 PM

I want one of those plots your dads got, sounds idealic for retirement.

Michael Alexander · September 23, 2007, 07:51:13 PM

When he moved into the place after starting retirement, we put a draught machine and a 4 piece band pitched up.... what a night, pete even fronted for the band for a few songs......i have some pics of that night somewhere......

:)

barb (Fry) · September 23, 2007, 07:55:01 PM

Andy and I really want one, do they do holiday homes. At £11 a month I can do that, its cheaper than my nicotene habit.

Michael Alexander · September 23, 2007, 07:57:47 PM

The company has recently allocated 40 Plots on the West side of town, for people to build houses, the land does not belong to you though.........but cheeeeeeep cheeeep rates!

:)

barb (Fry) · September 23, 2007, 08:10:13 PM

how cheap, I'm seriously intersted! Sounds like a gamble worth taking.

Michael Alexander · September 23, 2007, 08:14:46 PM

This is gonna sound stupid, but if you're living in England why would you want to rent a plot of sand in the desert? I know on that side of town, if the wind blows from the west you can hear the sea....and the dumper trucks at the PTF plant...... :)

Tom Parkhill is busy building himself a house to live in here, he already built a guesthouse here, nice one at that....I reckon there are about 40 private buildings/home on rented land here now.....

Jimmy Jones would also like to stay and live here if he can.....

barb (Fry) · September 23, 2007, 08:21:48 PM

Honey, firstly no question is ever stupid, the answer is investment.
I will need to retire one day and the sums sound good, as I have not been vigilant about preparing for that day, and with the exchange rate, it's looking plausable. Tourism you were talking about that somewhere else as the future of the town, well I hear you.

Michael Alexander · September 23, 2007, 08:27:13 PM

Yes, but it could go the other way, what if the diamonds finish, the company pulls out, Nature conservation don't get their own way and the control gate comes down,,,, then the masses flood in, like they did in Rosh Pinah, crime goes through the roof and shacks go up all over the place. Thats one scenario

To be honest, if the company decides to sell the houses off here in the next few years, and I can buy mine at a good price, I will.... even if the population drops, one could do a lot with tourism.....

I personally still believe the whole town should be converted into an internation retirement village, insode a conservation area, with limited diamond mining employee's still living here as the mine downscales....

:)

barb (Fry) · September 23, 2007, 08:33:20 PM

I agree and I see the risk.
Basically you need assurance that once the company leave, they leave! and the coast will be open. a add to the tourism. the threat is a rush on diamant pickers, like the gold rush, but honestly is there enough there to worry about, if they can't afford to mine it, well let it be.
Will the Namibian goverment, allocate a allowance to be used on maintainance of roads etc, really they are inheriting a town of good size with all facilities. We will need to know that the services will be maintained, subsidised at least by someone, and to expect the company after they have left is not reasonable, unless they want to prohibit areas from the public.

Michael Alexander · September 23, 2007, 08:39:45 PM

Well this is the other thing, any town planner will tell you that a towns infrastructure needs to be maintained and upgraded every 30 years, we are well past this, and quite a few things need to be replaced, in fact Adriaan was telling me that they had to dig a massive hole in the road up where he stays has the old sewage pipes had rusted away to the extent that you could'nt see the pipe anymore, people were smelling sh*t in their sinks in the homes.....
Some of the roads are potholed beyond belief, and the company has reduced the budget .....

So where does it end.... at this stage the company cannot give a clear and precise indication what there plans are... they tell us they are downscaling, yet everytime you open a Gazette , theres jobs galore advertised......

In 1972, when my dad got here, they told him 6 years to go ... then the diamonds will be finished.... you've all heard it.....

???

barb (Fry) · September 23, 2007, 08:51:03 PM

damn shame is all I can say. Its a big project, a town that size.
Somebody has to say ok boys if you want the diamants pay the bills, but who knows what the deal is with the govenment. It won't be in the residents interests that can be a guarantee.

Sharon · October 03, 2007, 10:22:55 AM

Thanks Clive, for that bit of info, and how are you hope u r well. By the way, what about paying for the bus rides? I remember going around on the busses just for fun and seeing who would climb on them, it was great when ur mates climbed on board and get off just across from the youth club. Good days those where.