Shooting clubs evicted from Luiperdsvallei

Shooting clubs had to remove all their equipment from shooting ranges at the Luiperdsvallei army base outside Windhoek last Friday. After more than a year of back-and-forth discussions the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) summarily ordered the clubs out. There were last-minute attempts by club members to retrieve immovable assets such as floodlights and podiums worth millions, but army officials refused to let those be removed. The standoff started on 16 August 2016 when the Shooting Union of Namibia (SUN) was informed by the NDF that shooting practice was suspended with immediate effect until further notice. An eviction notice came on 6 February 2017 when SUN was informed that its members using the Luiperdsvallei gallery range and pistol range would have to remove their equipment. No reasons were given and in September 2016 SUN president Jürgen Hoffmann wrote a letter to the then minister of sport, youth and national service, Jerry Ekandjo, and the Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) to complain. Hoffmann wrote that the union had been informed a day earlier that the denial of access would be a temporary measure that presumably tied in with a rumour reported in a local newspaper that former SWATF and Koevoet soldiers intended to attack the Suiderhof and Luiperdsvallei army bases. Explanations offered later were that there were issues with the locking of the gates to the shooting range, or alleged changes to the locks without informing the NDF.Despite requests by SUN for further clarification the clubs were never allowed back at Luiperdsvallei. Hoffmann said in his letter to Ekandjo that consequently all national shooting trials had to be cancelled, and he sought further clarity on the reasons for the ban. The Luiperdsvallei facilities were used by six clubs and four associations affiliated to SUN for practice, national competitions, national trials, as well as international competitions. Two of these clubs represent clay-target and pistol shooting, which are Olympic codes. Background Prior to independence the clubs had entered into an agreement with the then ministry of defence for the development of the facilities at the army base, provided that the clubs used their own funds. The pistol range was co-developed with certain agreements in place. The parties had agreed that the facilities would be open to both the military and civilians. According to SUN there were mainly tacit agreements in place when the NDF took over. Based on these tacit agreements, access cards were issued to the Luiperdsvallei clubs under the Namibia Rifle Association (previously called the Service Rifle Association), Namibia Pistol Association and the Clay Target Association of Namibia. This, SUN said, was done without a formal accompanying agreement issued by the NDF. Agreements in place SUN said the only official agreements in place were a formal approval granted by the defence ministry in 2008 to establish an Olympic clay-target range at Luiperdsvallei according to international standards, as well as a Part One Order issued in 2012 that gave SUN members access to the Uitsig shooting range. The development of the clay-target range was approved by the defence ministry and the Namibian Sports Commission (NSC). No other formal contracts were issued by the NDF. Other developments After independence Namibia was admitted to the Olympic movement and the Commonwealth Games Federation. Because of this the clay-target and pistol shooting clubs upgraded their facilities at a cost of N$1 million, which SUN said assured that Namibian athletes could participate – and win – at various African and world championships and six Olympic qualifications between 1996 and 2016. One of the star shooters was Gaby Ahrens, who took part in the Olympic trap events in 2008, 2012, and 2016. She won one Commonwealth bronze and two gold medals in Africa. The future unsure By March last year the SUN, alongside the NSC, the NNOC pleaded with the defence ministry to review its previous intention to evict the shooting clubs from Luiperdsvallei. They emphasised that there were no other shooting ranges complying with international standards.They proposed that the NDF, NSC, NNOC and SUN be joint custodians of the shooting sports to preserve and grow the sports. Their pleas fell on deaf ears, however. Asked what this would mean for shooting sports in Namibia and how far Namibia's adherence to the Olympic Charter would be safeguarded if the clubs were left without Olympic-standard facilities, NSC chief administrator Simataa Mwiya responded that the clubs already had a new venue. The new venue, which was registered by the NSC on 23 February, is the Neuweiller Clay Target Shooting Range, which is on privately owned land about 30 kilometres outside Windhoek. SUN, however, stated that this venue is only for clay-target shooting, is not of Olympic standard and is only a provisional measure to keep certain codes going. No other code is accommodated at the new venue and there is no Olympic trap range left in the country. What it means for the sport is that no Olympic qualification events can be held in Namibia any longer. The defence ministry did not respond to an enquiry about this matter.CATHERINE SASMAN

Shooting clubs evicted from Luiperdsvallei

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-29

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Shooting clubs evicted from Luiperdsvallei

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-29

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