Otniel Hembapu

Sports ministry executive director Mbumba Erastus Haitengela recently clarified that government has not neglected plans to upgrade and renovate the dilapidated Windhoek Independence stadium.

He said plans are still afoot to bring the venue to world-class standard. Haitengela shared these sentiments while in conversation with NBC’s Public Service Corner show, during which he dispelled growing public perceptions that government and the sports ministry in particular are doing little to address issues around the fractured 25 000-seater venue. 

The Independence stadium is one of the stadiums that is earmarked for Namibia’s joint bid with Botswana to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. 

Currently, the stadium, along with the Sam Nujoma stadium in Katutura, are both still blacklisted by Fifa and Caf after they were declared unfit to host international football matches due to their putrefying state and outdated facilities. 

Their downgrading has since forced the country’s various national teams to play their international matches in South Africa and elsewhere.  Although finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi announced during last year’s tabling of the national budget, that government would allocate N$50 million towards the upgrading and renovation of the Independence stadium, nothing has happened to date and the stadium remains unusable. 

But Haitengela explained that although renovation and upgrading works have not yet started at the venue, work is being done behind the scene to ensure that the process starts as soon as possible. 

“It is no secret that there was a declassification [downgrading] of the Independence stadium by Caf and they have asked government to do some serious upgrading and renovations…but the good thing is we were given some funds for that in the current budget, which ends next month. We were supposed to start with renovations but the challenge was that at the time we did not have a report to tell us which problems need to be fixed. So, what we did together with the Namibia Football Association (NFA) is to ask Caf to send inspectors to come inspect the facility and they were here last month already,” said Haitengela.

He further explained: “In January, they [Caf inspectors] came and inspected the stadium and also went to the coast to go inspect the other facilities as well. So, we are now hoping that they will make the report of their inspections available to us, hopefully by next week or so. After the report comes, the next stage of the process will be to conduct a facility audit and once we have done that, renovations and upgrading will then start. Not just for the Independence stadium, but at other facilities as well.”

The Independence and Swakopmund’s Vineta stadiums are central to both Namibia and Botswana’s mega plans to jointly host the 2027 Afcon, which the two countries agreed will be hosted on a 40/60 ratio as far as financial contributions and the allocation of facilities is concerned.

That would mean Namibia will cater for 40% of all related hosting costs and needed facilities, while Botswana will take care of the remaining 60% share of similar costs.

- ohembapu@nepc.com.na