The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) has questioned the maintenance and accountability of Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) following the closure of the indoor swimming facilities at Gross Barmen Resort.
Rodrick Likando, who is the shadow minister for tourism and environment, questioned this in a statement issued on Friday in which he said NWR received N$220 million in government funding for redevelopment of the resort in 2010.
“These questions are particularly important given the N$220 million allocated by the government, through the then ministry of environment and tourism, to NWR in 2010 for the redevelopment of Gross Barmen. The redevelopment included swimming facilities, accommodation, a restaurant, conference infrastructure and related amenities. It was a substantial public investment intended to strengthen Namibia’s tourism offering,” he said.
This comes after NWR announced in a statement dated 15 October that the indoor swimming facilities, including the thermal pool, had been temporarily closed to allow for remedial repairs to address safety concerns.
Likando said the closure raises questions about the maintenance of public tourism infrastructure and the use of public funds, particularly given the substantial investment made in redeveloping the resort.
According to Likando, the public deserves an explanation of what went wrong, when the problem was identified, and what would be required to restore the facilities to safe operation.
“While visitor safety must always come first, the public deserves more than a general announcement that repairs are required,” he said.
Likando said he was not suggesting that the current problem was caused by defective construction or mismanagement, but argued that the closure warranted a full technical explanation.
“It is reasonable to demand a full explanation when a major public tourism facility requires urgent remedial work years after a substantial redevelopment,” he said.
He also questioned how much NWR had spent on maintaining the resort, noting that the company’s expenditure on repairs, renovations and maintenance across its resorts and camps increased from N$23 million in 2022 to N$27 million in 2023.
The shadow minister said there had also been delays involving pool-related infrastructure during the original redevelopment and has called on NWR to explain the specific defect or safety risk that led to the closure and when the problem was first identified.
He said NWR should also disclose the revenue generated by the indoor swimming facilities over the past five financial years, the expected losses resulting from the closure, and arrangements for affected visitors and conference clients, as well as details of the costs of the current repairs.
“These are not unreasonable demands. NWR manages public tourism assets, and the public is entitled to know whether those assets are being properly maintained and whether public expenditure is delivering value for money,” Likando added.
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