Shifeta calls out NWR
Shifeta calls out NWR

Shifeta calls out NWR

Ellanie Smit
Environment minister Pohamba Shifeta has given a directive that by the end of this year, the ministry must ensure that no illegal dumping sites exist in Namibia's national parks.

“Whoever polluted the area must clean it by the end of December and whoever brought the waste must take it out. Even if it costs millions. It is illegal. No dumpsites are allowed,” he said. The minister's statement follows a media report about the dumpsite at Sesriem, managed by Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR), which sparked an investigation. The probe showed that there are nearly no environmental management programmes in place at NWR resorts across the country.

NWR has in the meantime undertaken to ready its environmental management plan by the end of the current financial year. At the Sesriem campsite, rubbish is collected from the drums by NWR staff. It is dumped together and ends up in one giant heap in an open rubbish dump behind the staff houses.

Shifeta said people have been illegally creating dumpsites in national parks.

“I was shocked when I saw this. We are investigating this. This is illegal. You can only create temporary holding sites.” The minister warned that still within this year, his ministry will ensure that there are no such dumping sites in any of the parks in the country. “This is very embarrassing. We will name and shame. We cannot allow this to continue. We are degrading our parks. Parks are not public places where you can just do what you want. I have instructed the director (of parks) that all residents that live in parks must sign a letter with us. If you do not behave, you will be given a month to vacate.”

He said in such a case the person would still be allowed to work in the park, but would not be allowed to live in the park.

“I have the power. How can you create a dumpsite in a park? It is very embarrassing.” Shifeta further said that those who created the waste in the parks will have to remove it.

He said that park officials who are not enforcing park regulations properly will also face disciplinary action.

“We do not want our parks to degrade.” Shifeta said instructions were already given to Colgar Sikopo, director of parks and wildlife management that all waste must be out of the parks by the end of December. Referring to a previous situation in Etosha National Park, he said during a visit in 2016 at Namutoni and the Okaukuejo camps they also saw a dumpsite.

“It was horrific. We found that the park had become a scrapyard with some residents who had left their old vehicles parked there.” He said Namibians must uphold the standards of parks and protect their integrity.

According to NWR, every resort in the park will have an environmental management plan by the end of this financial year as per the provision of the Environmental Management Act No. 7 of 2007. It is also in the process to develop its waste management system which will become an integral part of the business.

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Namibian Sun 2024-03-29

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Katima Mulilo: 19° | 36° Rundu: 19° | 29° Eenhana: 19° | 29° Oshakati: 21° | 30° Ruacana: 20° | 33° Tsumeb: 19° | 29° Otjiwarongo: 16° | 29° Omaruru: 19° | 32° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Gobabis: 17° | 30° Henties Bay: 16° | 20° Wind speed: 22km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 11:22, High tide: 05:24, Low Tide: 23:26, High tide: 17:46 Swakopmund: 16° | 17° Wind speed: 24km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 11:20, High tide: 05:22, Low Tide: 23:24, High tide: 17:44 Walvis Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 27km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 11:20, High tide: 05:21, Low Tide: 23:24, High tide: 17:43 Rehoboth: 19° | 30° Mariental: 23° | 34° Keetmanshoop: 24° | 35° Aranos: 22° | 33° Lüderitz: 15° | 28° Ariamsvlei: 24° | 35° Oranjemund: 14° | 25° Luanda: 27° | 28° Gaborone: 20° | 32° Lubumbashi: 17° | 26° Mbabane: 16° | 21° Maseru: 11° | 29° Antananarivo: 16° | 27° Lilongwe: 17° | 27° Maputo: 20° | 28° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Cape Town: 17° | 28° Durban: 20° | 24° Johannesburg: 16° | 24° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 32° Lusaka: 20° | 30° Harare: 16° | 29° Currency: GBP to NAD 23.8 | EUR to NAD 20.36 | CNY to NAD 2.61 | USD to NAD 18.87 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.33 | EGP to NAD 0.39 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.74 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.77 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.23 | USD to DZD 134.39 | USD to AOA 832.63 | USD to BWP 13.71 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1415.13 | USD to ZAR 18.87 | USD to ZMW 25.01 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 74536 Up +0.85% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1528.69 Up +0.84% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 12986.94 Up +0.04% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 27559.35 Down -2.36% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - 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Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 233.12/OZ UP +1.93% | Copper US$ 3.99/lb UP +0.12% | Zinc US$ 2 455.50/T UP 0% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 87.65/BBP UP +1.46% | Platinum US$ 908.62/OZ UP +1.53%