Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Urgent rescue measures for O&L Leisure

Home National Urgent rescue measures for O&L Leisure
Urgent rescue measures for O&L Leisure

The local tourism sector traditionally dependent on international business but now devastated by a global pandemic has forced one of the biggest accommodation establishments in the country, O&L Leisure, to introduce urgent rescue measures to safeguard its future sustainability. 

O&L Leisure in a statement said it has instituted these emergency measures to mitigate the risk of the impact on an already crippled tourism sector.

“The devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the tourism industry in particular, and the commensurate mitigating measures taken by
governments around the world whereby industry revenues collapsed, can be described as worse than the worst-case scenarios anticipated locally and globally,” said Norbert Wurm, managing director of O&L Leisure.

Said Wurm: “With the pandemic continuing to  impact us negatively and the current government regulations and health measures including restrictions on trading in our restaurants and international travel regulations linked to infection levels, we are further hampered in our ability to operate our business resulting in this situation becoming unsustainable. Our focus during and throughout this crisis has always been to trade our way out of this difficult situation, with emphasis on revenue generation, while reducing costs without reducing standards and simultaneously protecting livelihoods. Unfortunately, the third wave of the pandemic has hit the region and our business, like many others, hard especially during the second quarter of the year.” 

During the entirety of the crisis until recently, O&L Leisure has reduced overtime costs and adjusted work schedules, amongst others, while choosing not to resort to restructuring, retrenchments, or mandatory salary reductions. 

“In an effort to alleviate the pressure and safeguard the wellbeing of our employees and sustain our business, we, unfortunately, have no other choice but to take necessary measures to ensure we overcome the short-term challenges facing us. Having exhausted all other alternatives, our focus remains on securing jobs and livelihoods in a sustainable manner while requiring a collective sacrifice by all, whereby we urgently need to reduce our operating requirements in line with forecasted activity and in terms of Section 12 of the Labour Act,” Wurm said. 

“These are trying times and while we had hoped to overcome this crisis. We now have the opportunity to become more resilient than ever before by collectively taking hands and pushing through this crisis, together… I am confident and inspired by our team’s passion and resilience that speaks for itself, and therefore have no doubt that we will unite in finding breakthroughs to overcome this crisis as we cannot afford to put our jobs and livelihoods; and, indeed the future of our business, at risk.”  Wurm added that the measures implemented are only temporary and noted that the Chobe Water Villas and Mokuti Etosha Lodge will reopen on 01 October.