Tourist attacks condemned

Namibia's reputation as a peaceful nation was tainted by the spate of criminal attacks on tourists in recent months.Minister of environment and tourism Pohamba Shifeta says the growing trend of crime against foreign visitors is concerning and will definitely be addressed in the next months. “The Ministry of Environment and Tourism sadly regrets that such barbaric actions are happening in our country and unreservedly expresses its strongest condemnation of the violence and criminal acts aimed at our tourists in Namibia, and in particular tourists from South Africa in the Erongo Region and German tourists near Windhoek in the Brakwater area,” Shifeta said on Friday. According to him the gains Namibia had made as a safe tourist haven in the last 25 years would soon be lost to this increasing crime. “These actions have far-reaching consequences to our aspirations as a sector and Namibia as a destination. Violence is not an experience we want to create for our tourists but on the contrary we want them to experience the peacefulness that we have always offered over the years,” he said. The ministry further called on law enforcement agencies and Namibian citizens to be vigilant and act proactively against these threats. “I commend those that took it upon themselves to apprehend one of the suspects and ask the Namibian police to ensure that those that escaped are arrested without delay. “We also call on the judiciary to show no mercy to these suspects as a way of discouraging this disturbing trend in our country,” Shifeta pleaded. He emphasised that the safety of tourists was very important and that interventions were needed to ensure their safety at all times. He commended the Windhoek municipality for establishing a tourism police unit under the City Police and for installing CCTV cameras at crime hotspots around the city, but added that more needed to be done.

Tourist attacks condemned

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-06

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Tourist attacks condemned

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-06

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