100 years and counting

“WELCOME to the Kingdom of Etosha,” says a beaming Sunday Nelenge, breaking out into jovial laughter as he registers the surprise on the faces of a new group of tourists arriving at Okaukuejo.

“The park is an animal kingdom of course and that kingdom celebrates 100 years on March 22 after being officially proclaimed a nature reserve by Germany’s colonial governor Friedrich von Lindequist,” the resort manager explains. Namibia’s world famous Etosha National Park – home to 114 mammal species, 380 bird species and 110 different reptiles – is known for its vast open spaces, where game viewing is far more rewarding than in thick bush.Every year, more than 300 000 tourists, mainly from overseas, flock to Etosha in northern Namibian, representing nearly half of Namibia’s annual tourism flow of 700 000.Apart from elephants, the rare and endangered black rhino and big cats like lion and cheetah, it also provides a temporary home to migratory pink flamingos, who find a breeding haven in the massive pan which gives the park its name.Etosha, literally meaning “the great void”, refers to the shallow depression of some 5 000 square kilometres covering a quarter of the park, which was once a lake but now only fills up with water during a good rainy season.The pan is part of the Kalahari Basin, the floor of which was formed around 1 000 million years ago.One of Africa’s oldest game parks, Etosha was once a massive 93 240 square kilometres until South Africa’s apartheid regime trimmed it to 22 270 square kilometres – half the size of Switzerland – in the ’70s to create homelands for different ethnic groups.Namibia gained Independence on March 22 1990, but lack of funds in the national Budget made the duties of nature conservation officers more difficult and the three tourism resorts of Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni within Etosha were in dire need of modernisation.The Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) is responsible for the conservation side of the park and infrastructure like fences, roads and waterholes, a daunting task for such a large park.The tourism side is handled by a newly created State-owned company, Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR).”Etosha is the jewel in our tourism crown,” says Tobie Aupindi, Managing Director of NWR.”We are renovating and modernising all tourism facilities at Etosha to world-class standard, as especially international tourists expect modern accommodation.In the wake of the centenary, we have a complete makeover for Etosha,” he told The Namibian.About N$60 million is earmarked for the revamp and another N$10,5 million for the conservation sector in the park.Etosha generates over N$1 billion a year for State coffers.Guided walks and game drives during the day and at night will now be offered and hideouts for tourists are planned at the waterholes of Namutoni, Etosha and Okaukuejo.Etosha provides about 500 jobs for both the MET and NWR and the park is among the largest consumers of goods and services in northern Namibia.Even bananas, home grown at the Etunda irrigation project, are available at the small shops in Etosha, a special treat for tourists.Sunday Nelenge is one of three newly appointed managers of the Halali, Namutoni and Okaukuejo resorts.He and his two colleagues have the daunting task of partly overseeing the huge renovation and modernisation exercise at the resorts, where the winds of change are blowing.The outdated accommodation facilities have been stripped and walls broken down in the bungalows.”The idea is to upgrade the bungalows from four beds to two beds, the braai facilities will go and there will be no more fridges in the bungalows,” says Francois Snyders, Manager at Namutoni.Halali’s renovation is almost completed and manager Simon Iyambula proudly shows off the beautiful rooms.”Some of the tourists moan a bit about the noise of the builders, but most of them are excited about the new look,” Iyambula says.However, the San Bushmen, southern Africa’s oldest people, evicted by South African apartheid authorities 40 years ago, are claiming ancestral land rights in Etosha.Of the 30 000 San in Namibia, the 9 000 Hai//kom are the largest group.They lived in the Etosha area for centuries.”We want Etosha back as our land,” says Naftali Soroseb, a Hai//kom and board member of the Working Group of Minorities in Southern Africa (Wimsa).”We are landless and derive no benefit from tourism activities in Etosha.We are also left out of the centenary celebrations.”Government, heeding the call of the Hai//kom, is negotiating with owners of farms bordering the park to buy them out.”This will start tourism activities there, engaging the Hai//kom so that they earn an income from tourism,” said Tourism Minister Willem Konjore at the recent centenary launch.Dr Malan Lindeque, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, says Etosha is now an animal “bank” – a breeding centre from where some game can be relocated to other areas, especially rural conservancies.But there are challenges, Lindeque said at a recent public lecture in Etosha.”It costs us huge sums to maintain its infrastructure like fences, water points and roads.Other problems are natural phenomena such as drought, flooding, fire and animal diseases such as anthrax.”When some animals such as elephants break the fence, they cause problems for communities living next to the park, such as destroying mahangu fields and water points.The Ministry is addressing these problems by improving infrastructure and developing a human-wildlife conflict plan with nearby conservancies “Efficient management of the park, based on science, monitoring, planning and modern integrated administration with a business approach is the strategy for the next 100 years of Etosha,” Lindeque says.Namibia’s world famous Etosha National Park – home to 114 mammal species, 380 bird species and 110 different reptiles – is known for its vast open spaces, where game viewing is far more rewarding than in thick bush.Every year, more than 300 000 tourists, mainly from overseas, flock to Etosha in northern Namibian, representing nearly half of Namibia’s annual tourism flow of 700 000.Apart from elephants, the rare and endangered black rhino and big cats like lion and cheetah, it also provides a temporary home to migratory pink flamingos, who find a breeding haven in the massive pan which gives the park its name.Etosha, literally meaning “the great void”, refers to the shallow depression of some 5 000 square kilometres covering a quarter of the park, which was once a lake but now only fills up with water during a good rainy season.The pan is part of the Kalahari Basin, the floor of which was formed around 1 000 million years ago.One of Africa’s oldest game parks, Etosha was once a massive 93 240 square kilometres until South Africa’s apartheid regime trimmed it to 22 270 square kilometres – half the size of Switzerland – in the ’70s to create homelands for different ethnic groups.Namibia gained Independence on March 22 1990, but lack of funds in the national Budget made the duties of nature conservation officers more difficult and the three tourism resorts of Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni within Etosha were in dire need of modernisation.The Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) is responsible for the conservation side of the park and infrastructure like fences, roads and waterholes, a daunting task for such a large park.The tourism side is handled by a newly created State-owned company, Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR).”Etosha is the jewel in our tourism crown,” says Tobie Aupindi, Managing Director of NWR.”We are renovating and modernising all tourism facilities at Etosha to world-class standard, as especially international tourists expect modern accommodation.In the wake of the centenary, we have a complete makeover for Etosha,” he told The Namibian.About N$60 million is earmarked for the revamp and another N$10,5 million for the conservation sector in the park.Etosha generates over N$1 billion a year for State coffers.Guided walks and game drives during the day and at night will now be offered and hideouts for tourists are planned at the waterholes of Namutoni,
Etosha and Okaukuejo.Etosha provides about 500 jobs for both the MET and NWR and the park is among the largest consumers of goods and services in northern Namibia.Even bananas, home grown at the Etunda irrigation project, are available at the small shops in Etosha, a special treat for tourists.Sunday Nelenge is one of three newly appointed managers of the Halali, Namutoni and Okaukuejo resorts.He and his two colleagues have the daunting task of partly overseeing the huge renovation and modernisation exercise at the resorts, where the winds of change are blowing.The outdated accommodation facilities have been stripped and walls broken down in the bungalows.”The idea is to upgrade the bungalows from four beds to two beds, the braai facilities will go and there will be no more fridges in the bungalows,” says Francois Snyders, Manager at Namutoni.Halali’s renovation is almost completed and manager Simon Iyambula proudly shows off the beautiful rooms.”Some of the tourists moan a bit about the noise of the builders, but most of them are excited about the new look,” Iyambula says.However, the San Bushmen, southern Africa’s oldest people, evicted by South African apartheid authorities 40 years ago, are claiming ancestral land rights in Etosha.Of the 30 000 San in Namibia, the 9 000 Hai//kom are the largest group.They lived in the Etosha area for centuries.”We want Etosha back as our land,” says Naftali Soroseb, a Hai//kom and board member of the Working Group of Minorities in Southern Africa (Wimsa).”We are landless and derive no benefit from tourism activities in Etosha.We are also left out of the centenary celebrations.”Government, heeding the call of the Hai//kom, is negotiating with owners of farms bordering the park to buy them out.”This will start tourism activities there, engaging the Hai//kom so that they earn an income from tourism,” said Tourism Minister Willem Konjore at the recent centenary launch.Dr Malan Lindeque, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, says Etosha is now an animal “bank” – a breeding centre from where some game can be relocated to other areas, especially rural conservancies.But there are challenges, Lindeque said at a recent public lecture in Etosha.”It costs us huge sums to maintain its infrastructure like fences, water points and roads.Other problems are natural phenomena such as drought, flooding, fire and animal diseases such as anthrax.”When some animals such as elephants break the fence, they cause problems for communities living next to the park, such as destroying mahangu fields and water points.The Ministry is addressing these problems by improving infrastructure and developing a human-wildlife conflict plan with nearby conservancies “Efficient management of the park, based on science, monitoring, planning and modern integrated administration with a business approach is the strategy for the next 100 years of Etosha,” Lindeque says.