Renthia Kaimbi
A project meant to preserve one of Tsumeb’s oldest landmarks and boost tourism has turned into a dispute over alleged misuse of funds and poor workmanship.
The rehabilitation of the historic De Wet mining shaft, funded by a €100,000 (about N$2 million) donation from the German government, was completed only months ago.
Local residents have already raised concerns after rust began to appear on the structure five months after it was sandblasted, coated, and welded.
The project was intended to make the shaft safe for visitors, but accusations now suggest that the work left the structure more vulnerable.
German embassy spokesperson Gundula Perry referred questions about the donation to consultant Jens Frautschy, who operates the Tsumeb Mineralogic and Mining Museum on the same property.
Engineer and businessman Rainier Arangies confirmed the poor condition of the shaft and criticised Frautschy for appointing Kraatz as a contractor.
“Tsumeb experiences acid rain due to the mining activities in the town,” Arangies said. “When the contractor sandblasted the coating that had protected the shaft from rust all these years, he probably used low-quality products for the new coating, because it is already showing signs of rust. If this is not properly addressed, the structure may collapse within two to three years.”
Frautschy defended Kraatz’s work and said much of the budget was used on setup.
“I spent about N$900,000 on scaffolding to protect the workers,” he said.
He also blamed the Tsumeb Municipality, which owns the shaft, for a lack of support.
“We get very little support from the municipality. Even now, there is no electricity to illuminate it by night; they won’t connect the water and the sewage for the toilets.”
Frautschy said he sought the German donation after the municipality failed to invest in the site.
He confirmed that he is looking for additional funds to complete the work.
“The newer shaft from the early 1960s was renovated this year. At the foundation, they have to do a lot of repairs and for this repair, we need a scientific inspection. This is still in progress,” he said.
Arangies rejected his claims, accusing him of acting without consultation.
“Frautschy allegedly neglected to consult the municipality about the rehabilitation of the shaft and is now blaming him for misusing the donated funds,” he stated.
Tsumeb mayor Matthew Hangula told the Windhoek Observer that the council was aware of the project.
He said the municipality had agreed to reconnect utilities at the site once it was officially handed over.
“I know there was work of that nature, but there has been no update or indication of when the site will be handed over to the council. Council agreed to illuminate the shaft and reconnect water because we plan on setting up a tourist information centre at the site,” said Hangula.
He added that the municipality wants the site preserved as a national and possibly world heritage site but denied involvement in handling donations for the rehabilitation.
Former Kraatz project manager Kai Eysselein said he could not confirm the costs.
“Unfortunately, I am not privy to that information, as I handed the project over…shortly after scaffolding commenced. I am also not informed what works were completed and what to extend,” he said.
