John Grobler
25 June 2009
TUNGENI Africa Investments, the BEE company that controversially obtained a 100-year lease over the Von Bach resort, was warned by NamWater and Department Water Affairs officials in October that their proposed 240-home development is "fatally flawed".
This is spelt out in documents seen by The Namibian.
Tungeni was also informed that NamWater intends draining the dam of 45 per cent of its water in terms of the management plan set out under the Water Resources Management Act.
This water is to be stored by pumping it into Windhoek's aquifers to minimise evaporation losses in terms of an ongoing water management plan to cope with Namibia's next drought, officials explained.
Tungeni's directors, MD Iyaloo Nangolo and Stephanus Oosthuyzen, were also told that NamWater was thinking of raising the Von Bach dam wall by 10 metres (as is being planned at Hardap Dam), which meant that Tungeni's 'Oujere Lifestyle Village' development could end up under several metres of water.
Oosthuyzen also conceded at this meeting, held at Enviro-Design's offices on October 10, that their planned lodge, hotel, 240-house 'lifestyle village' and golf course " probably falls within the catchment area".
But Nangolo, a partner at Windhoek-based quantity surveying firm JordaanOosthuyzenNangolo, denied being told this or having been to the meeting.
The consultants occupy premises in the same Klein Windhoek office park complex where Nangolo and Oosthuyzen have their - and Tungeni's - offices. Nangolo has refused to comment further.
But the other parties confirmed that Oosthuyzen and Nangolo were present, and authenticated the minutes that were circulated by environmental consultants Enviro-Design afterwards.
This meeting was called after a stormy public meeting, held the previous night at Okahandja, to inform Tungeni of the problems faced in building a N$450 million resort on the banks of Windhoek's most important fresh water resource.
Another meeting was held a week later, on October 17, at the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF) in Windhoek in which now-retired Director of Water Affairs Dr Stefan de Wet again warned that Tungeni's plans were fatally flawed.
De Wet, who retired at the end of March, earlier this week confirmed that both NamWater and MAWF warned that such a development, with all its attendant human pollution, would pose a grave risk to Windhoek and its water-dependant industries such as the food industries.
"These dams [like Von Bach and other smaller reservoirs like Friedenau and Otjivero Dams] present a wonderful development opportunity, but unfortunately we cannot risk this at Von Bach because of its critical importance as the main freshwater reserve for the entire central region," De Wet said.
De Wet said he was "rather surprised" to see that some members the Von Bach and Namibia Ski Clubs had built small chalets at their respective leased premises.
The agreement had always been for no more than temporary accommodation, meaning " caravans or structures that could be easily removed", he said.
Tungeni's proposed plans for 240 new sectional-title-type apartments and golf course however meant a potential influx of thousands of people, living full-time on the banks of Windhoek's main water reservoir.
This posed a very serious risk in terms of potential long-term health problems for users of Von Bach's water, which was already eutrophic (semi-polluted), he said.
De Wet explained that so-called Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) such as oestrogen and hormones contained in drugs like Viagra posed a very grave risk to everyone's health, once these entered the water supply.
The enormous cost of removing such POPs, which cannot be done with technology currently in use, would have to borne by Windhoek rate-payers, and there was no guarantee that these could be removed from the water, De Wet warned.
It also emerged from the minutes of this meeting held on October 17 that the MAWF had repeatedly warned both the Namibia Wildlife Resorts Company (NWR) and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to clean up the over-flowing septic tanks of the small bungalow complex.
Tungeni also does not appear to have applied for the obligatory effluent disposal permit, it emerged from these documents.
In early November, MAWF Permanent Secretary (PS) Andrew Ndishishi, in a letter to MET PS Dr Kalumbi Shangula, warned that as custodian of Namibia's water resources, the MAWF was opposed to the development.
"However, developments that pose a potential threat to the water resources are not encouraged and supported by this Ministry. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry is not recommending the proposed development of a Lifestyle Village at Von Bach Dam," the letter said.
"This letter serves to request the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to inform the Namibia Wildlife Resort about the fatal flaw of this development as recommended in the meeting of 17 October," Ndishishi said.
"The current situation regarding the pollution caused by unauthorised effluent disposal by Namibia Wildlife Resorts at Von Bach Dam Game Park camping facilities will leave this Ministry no option than to take drastic measures," the letter concluded.
* John Grobler is a freelance journalist
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