Wanderers hit by safety regulation expenses

Wanderers Sport Club will have to fork out close to N$2 million to implement new safety regulations required by the City of Windhoek.

This will have a direct effect on their 500-odd members, who have now been asked to pay an additional N$1 000 each to help alleviate the situation.

Wanderers’ head club committee recently sent out a letter to its members requesting financial assistance to help recoup their expenses.

“In our pursuit of providing our members with the best facilities in the country, we are constantly ensuring that our club complies with all necessary regulations required by the City of Windhoek to renew our annual health certificate,” the letter says.

“Over the past year, the City of Windhoek updated their regulations, which has necessitated upgrades to certain aspects of our infrastructure directly related to the safety of everyone who uses the club,” it adds.

“These upgrades involve fire-fighting equipment for the entire club, as well as smoke extraction systems for the large buildings. This is an essential joint project between Wanderers and Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaat Skool with the combined cost of the two projects amounting to just under N$1 900 000,” it says.

In an effort to generate funds, Wanderers presented its members with some financing options, which includes a mandatory contribution of N$1 000 per member or family.

Along with their annual membership fee of N$1 650, this means that membership for 2026 will total N$2 650. For social members, the new one-time cost is N$1 850.

Another option to raise funds is advertising space on the wall at Wanderers’ squash courts, with 125 spaces available at N$3 000 for two years (to be paid immediately), or N$5 000 to be paid over two years at N$210 per month.

Wanderers Sport Club’s manager Steven Berry yesterday confirmed the news.

“There’s a new City of Windhoek requirement for us now, where we need to have a fire hydrant system in place, which we’ve never had before. . . We needed five new cones, and new pipes needed to be laid and all that amounted to about $2 million, which is not exactly in the club’s budget,” he said.

“We just had the basic fire extinguisher systems, but we didn’t have anything in place for fire trucks, which is now a new requirement, so if a fire truck has to come in here, they need to be able to connect to something,” he added.

Berry said they will try and recoup their expenses from their members.

“Our annual fee went up from N$1 450 to N$1 650 while we’ve added a once-off fee of N$1 000 to help the club try and get some of that money back. We have close to 500 members, so we’re not even going to get halfway there, but every little bit helps.

“We have to put this all in place now so it’s a big schlep, and a major headache for us,” he said.

Berry added that most of their members have been accommodating.

“Some of our members have queried it, but once we explain it to them they say they understand and are happy to support us. One or two people said they can’t afford it but we are trying to accommodate them and give them an opportunity to pay it over four or five months.

“I think three people have cancelled their memberships, but the rest of them, once we explain it to them, they understand, so the payments are coming in,” he said.

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