The construction of the remaining phases of the Eenhana Multi-Purpose Sport Complex will soon get underway, with phase 5 and part of phase 4 expected to be completed during this financial year.
During her recent budget motivation speech in the National Assembly, Minister of Sport, Youth and National Service Agnes Tjongarero, notified fellow lawmakers that her ministry has for the 2020/21 financial year set aside N$18.5 million for the further construction of the Eenhana Sport Complex, which has been under construction for almost more than 10 years now.

The Eenhana Sport Complex was initially aimed at addressing the continuous lack of sports facilities countrywide, and especially for the northern part of the country. The construction of the stadium has since been slow and the facility remains in a sorry state.
During her speech, Tjongarero expressed concern with the lack of adequate sport facilities and how that continues to obstruct the smooth nurturing and showcasing of local talents. 

She said for the 2020/21 financial year, the sports ministry has allocated N$18.5 million towards the construction of phase 5 of the sports complex and part of that amount will also be used for the renovation and upgrading of the Swakopmund International Hostel as well as repairing the sewerage plant of the Frans Dimbare Rural Youth Development Centre.

Last year, this publication reported that the Eenhana Sport Complex had been under construction for over 10 years and progress has been painfully slow, with hundreds of athletes being denied a facility where they can compete and showcase their talents.
Construction of the complex initially started late 2009 and gained momentum in 2010 with the completion of phase 1, which included clearing and fencing off the plot, groundworks and construction of the pavilion. 

Completion of phase 2 of the complex was hit by financial constraints during the 2010/11 fiscal year and resulted in the ministry completely freezing that particular phase, which was to include a football pitch, tennis and basketball courts as well as netball courts to mention but a few.
The freezing of phase 2 resulted in the abandonment of the complex for some years, which later saw construction resume mid-2013 and was then followed by the completion of parts of phase 3, which included administration office blocks at the complex but the constructed offices have since been falling apart and renovations will need to be done if they are to be occupied in future.

Further queries with various officials at the time indicated that phase 4 of the complex, which was to include the construction of staff accommodation, ablution facilities, pump station, parking lots and other additional amenities, was to commence in 2014 but funds for phase 4 were shifted to the hosting of the 2014 CAF Women Championship, which was reported to have cost Namibia about N$80 million.
For the 2020/21 fiscal year, the sport ministry was allocated a total budget of more than N$306 million, which is almost a N$20 million increase from the N$286 million it received in the preceding year. It is the first time in many years that the sports ministry sees an increase in its budget allocation for this year, as the past three fiscal years have seen the ministry’s budget decrease drastically. 
The ministry got N$288.3 million for the 2018/19 fiscal year, which was a massive N$97 million reduction from the N$385 million it received in the 2017/18 fiscal period.
– ohembapu@nepc.com.na