26 June 2009
Windhoek — The Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) leased some of its resorts with the blessings of Cabinet as part of the company's turnaround strategy.
Managing director Tobie Aupindi this week refuted media reports that the leasing of the resorts was not done in a transparent manner.
The NWR has come under the spotlight in recent weeks for allegedly violating procedures when it leased the resorts to empowerment companies. Aupindi told the Economist in an exclusive interview that the NWR Act empowers the company to enter into public private partnerships.
Aupindi said Cabinet approved the leasing of Von Bach, Reho Spar, Shark Island, Daan Viljoen and the West Coast Recreational Area to private companies.
"We advertised in newspapers and online. We then short-listed some companies and submitted their names and those of the companies, which were not short-listed to our line ministry and the minister took the documents to Cabinet, Aupindi said.
He said through the leasing agreement, the NWR would get money every month for the lease and a percentage of the turnover. He said despite being leased to private companies, the resorts and any additional building that the private companies will build, belongs to the government.
"These are State assets. Every brick belong to the State," he said. He said the controversy at the Von Back with ski clubs owners stem from the fact that some of the clubs there have been operating illegally.
"They had working agreements but have no contracts," he said. He said the NWR only owns the camp at Von Back, which it has leased out.
"Von Back is a national park owned by the government," Aupindi said. According to some media reports, the NWR leased the Von Bach recreational resort for 100 years to an empowerment company called Tungeni Africa Investments without having clear legal rights to do so.
Aupindi said the government was the sole shareholder of the NWR and had the right to do whatever it wants to do with its assets.
"People who are saying what we did was not transparent are just trying to divert people's attention from the truth," he said.
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