Justicia Shipena
Environment and tourism minister Indileni Daniel says the recent fire in Etosha National Park was no accident and was started by someone.
“Fire doesn’t just emerge from nowhere. Somebody has started it, and I’m sure if he has got his right mind, he can feel the same and the damage that he has caused, not only to Etosha National Park, but to the whole Namibian nation,” she said on Thursday during a press conference at the ministry’s offices.
She stressed that Etosha is Namibia’s flagship park, adding that to have it destroyed like that, and definitely by someone, is unacceptable.
Daniel urged the public to report any accidental fire outbreaks immediately.
“Even if it was done by accident, please inform the ministry and all those involved so that it can be managed as early as possible,” she said.
Daniel rejected claims that the ministry acted too late.
“It is not a matter of we acted too late. When you have a fire, you cannot just call 1,000 people. You work with the team you have that is capable. From day one, we had neighbouring farmers, ministry staff members, and the NDF present in the park. We felt that was initially enough until the second fire broke out,” she said.
She also clarified that Etosha has never been closed.
“It remains fully open to visitors and tourists. While there has been speculation suggesting otherwise, we have only issued advisories urging visitors to remain vigilant and take necessary safety precautions during their stay,” she said.
At the same press conference, the executive director within the ministry, Sikongo Haihambo, warned that fires continue to flare up in different parts of the country.
Haihambo urged Namibians, including the private sector, to provide financial or material support.
“Whatever support, financial or material, let them just contact me, and we will be able to facilitate how the funding will be channelled. And we’re going to be transparent about it,” he said.
He admitted that resources remain a challenge. Haihambo listed urgent needs, including firefighting equipment such as fire beaters, protective clothing, graders, and proper vehicle maintenance, as well as training, awareness, and storage facilities in all regions.
“We are not going to channel everything to Etosha, unfortunately. We are not saying Etosha is safe and secure, but there’s a broader area of responsibility outside of Etosha,” he said.
To date, about 853 946 hectares, representing 38% of Etosha, have been affected. The fires inside the park were contained and extinguished on Wednesday. One elephant, six springboks, and three duikers have been confirmed dead.
The ministry’s deputy executive director of natural resources management, Colgar Sikopo, said the fire was unusually large but noted that fire is also a management tool in the park’s strategy.
“Etosha actually burns every year. If you read the management plan, particularly the fire management strategy, between 5% and 20% of the park burns annually. If it doesn’t burn naturally, we use fire to manage grazing and stimulate sweet grass when the rains come,” Sikopo said.
“It happened at the right time. We already had rains in some parts of the park, especially the Halali and Namutoni side, a week or so before the fire. If it rains again, I can promise you that by November the burnt area will be the most attractive for wild animals because of the new grass shoots,” he said.
For now, he said supplementary feeding is not anticipated within the park.
“The part that has not burnt is big, the fire took place at the right time, and if the rains come soon, I think we are good to go. What is important now is to protect the unburned area and ensure no further fires erupt this season,” he said.
