Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has rubbished claims that the Shark Island camping site in Lüderitz Bay is built on a graveyard and that illegal alterations were made to the site. This follows after Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) announced the site was reopened for campers as of 1 November, which was not taken lightly by some.
Shark Island is historically known for its graveyard site where the remains are buried of many who lost their lives at the hands of the German colonial government during the Nama-Herero genocide between 1904 and 1908.
Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said there are clear demarcations on Shark Island to cater to other functions and needs. These include the lighthouse, used for guest accommodation, and the open area, used as camping site. All these areas are further way from the gravesite.
Muyunda stated that NWR did not alter the original design of the infrastructure nor did they build anything new on Shark Island or on the graveyard, as is alleged.
“However, with Shark Island being a tourist attraction, NWR did renovations on the guest facilities such as the ablution block and lighthouse to improve the visitors’ experience,” he said.
Muyunda noted that these improvements were done in consultation with the Heritage Council of Namibia. He said there is nothing unusual about establishing guest facilities at historic sites, as this is done all around the world.
Shark Island was declared a national heritage site on 15 February 2019. A memorial plaque for Adolf Lüderitz, after whom the town was named, was also erected at the site.
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