The Ohlthaver and List (O&L) Group, owners of the Wernhil Shopping Mall, says it will not be compensating tenants and shoppers who had their properties damaged due to the flooding that hit the mall a week ago.
Wernhil – one of the capital city’s biggest malls – had its ground floor flooded due to flash floods that occurred in Windhoek about a week ago, causing extensive damage to scores of shops and cars at the shopping centre.
“Unfortunately, each tenant is required to have their own insurance for their stores. This is a legal requirement to be able to enter a lease agreement. As for the public’s use of the parking facilities, this is done at own risk as per our disclaimer notice that is displayed upon entering the building and any damages to vehicles should be covered under their individual insurance schemes,” the company said in response to an inquiry by The Brief.
This comes as the company said its property manager, Broll Namibia, was still assessing and evaluating the damage.
“Several properties were damaged due to the flash floods. However, our team of Broll Namibia who manages our properties are working tirelessly to evaluate the damage and ensure the tenants can return to a safe premises. At this stage we are busy with assessments with our risk and insurance teams. We are not able to quantify the value of any claims at this stage,” the company said.
Already the City of Windhoek has maintained that it bears no responsibility for damages caused by the flooding that occurred in the City after heavy rainfall caused flash flooding and Windhoek’s drainage infrastructure failed to cope with the massive volumes of water, a development that left some buildings damaged.
The Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (NAMFISA) says it expects an increase in insurance claims, but will only be able to quantify the impact next year after players in the sector have submitted their returns.
This week Wednesday, City of Windhoek issued a flood warning to residents.
