The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism says it will soon introduce fines for speeding and non-adherence to rules in National Parks.
Minister Pohamba Shifeta said recently during a Rhino dehorning exercise and road inspections in the Etosha National Park.
“There is too much lawlessness happening in the parks, and as a Ministry, we will soon implement measures such as fining individuals who break the law with nothing less than N$10,000. It won’t be a simple fine especially if you kill an animal,” Shifeta said.
He made these remarks in relation to an incident in which a Cheetah was bumped by a car in the Etosha National Park in what was alleged as overspeeding.
The speed limit is 60km per hour in National Parks.
“Animals are dying because of recklessness, as a driver you will be held responsible irrespective of the organisation you work for. These are not public roads therefore we can introduce hefty fines we deem necessary, and this will be enforced as soon as we finalise the repealing of the bill that will give the Minister powers,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Shifeta said the Ministry is upgrading the fencing, to minimise the escape of wildlife which later on cause havoc in communities.Â
He however conceded that it is a costly exercise that will take time to complete.
“We are talking about a radius of over 800km to fully fence off the fine. Going forward we intend to have a dedicated team that will only be responsible for maintenance of the fence and will be stationed along the lines for better execution instead of being at the camps. This will also help in the monitoring of poachers,” he added.
It was further announced that the Ministry has budgeted N$203.4 million for road upgrades in the Etosha National Park, disbursed in five phases dating back to 2019.
So far about N$1,366.9 million has been spent to finance part of the 275km road network. The is 1,200 kilometres of road paths in the Etosha National Park.
“The road was very bad and this is because the volume of vehicles has increased tremendously over the years thus the surface wears off fast. Therefore, it is very important to maintain our road networks because tourists will be discouraged to visit the park, and as a state, we may not generate enough revenue,” said Shifeta.
