Windhoek
With the festive season upon us many are preparing for their various destinations, including tourists who are attracted to Namibia due to its beautiful landscape and wildlife.
It is in times like these that unscrupulous individuals also take advantage of the season to rob locals and visitors of their cash, as many people have a lot of money to spend. However, the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, has urged Namibians to care for one another including tourists visiting the country.
“All these come with extreme joy and jubilation. I just want to plead to all to act with extreme care and love for our lives. We have our tourists and other visitors who are attracted to Namibia by many positive factors. We need to make them feel safe and cared for if we want them to become regular visitors.”
Shifeta said roads will be busy with traffic and therefore appealed to all drivers to take extra care.
“I will spend my Christmas in Windhoek or at the coast,” he said, adding that he had not yet decided where because he would not be on leave for the whole of December.
He added that Xmas is an annual festival celebrated by Christians as the day of the birth of Christ.
He noted that 2016 has been a busy year for him. “I have been pretty much busy with my official duties. However, it was a year with mixed results given the global economic slowdown which has affected our macroeconomic stability at national level,” Shifeta reflected.
The minister further pleaded with locals and visitors to avoid littering. Namibians are equally encouraged “to roll up their sleeves and tidy up their holiday destinations for the festive season”.
Over the years it has been observed that a lot of littering takes place during the festive season.
Some holidaymakers go to the extent of scarring the landscape at the coastal towns of Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and Henties Bay, which is often crowded by visitors. Therefore he appealed to all to guard against littering.
“Let us keep Namibia clean. Last year we experienced serious littering in many of our holiday places and establishments, especially our national parks. We should avoid untidy behaviour by all means. Let us be responsible in our recreational places and holiday establishments. Whoever enters a national park, holiday establishment or any recreational place with a foreign object should be responsible for the removal of same or place them in designated areas. May I seize this opportunity to wish you all a happy festive season and an annus mirabilis (wonderful year) 2017.”