MP seeks answers over Gross Barmen pool closure
Rodrick Likando of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) has called on the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism to explain the temporary closure of the indoor swimming facilities at Gross Barmen Resort, raising concerns about the safety issues that prompted the decision and the use of public funds. In a notice to Parliament, Likando said the resort’s significance to tourism and the substantial public investment it had received made it necessary to establish the reasons for the closure and the measures being taken to reopen the facility safely.
“The house needs to know the nature of the problems, the financial implications and the steps being taken to reopen the facility safely,” he said. Likando questioned what specific safety concerns led to the closure, who assessed them and when they were first identified. The minister was also asked why the facility had been allowed to operate after the concerns arose and who would be held accountable for any failure to act.
He further raised about the amount of public money spent on the resort’s redevelopment between 2011 and 2014, whether the current defects were linked to that work, and how much remedial work would cost. Likando also sought clarity on who would bear the cost of repairs and when the work would be completed to allow the facilities to reopen.
“Gross Barmen is a public asset built and maintained with taxpayers’ money and Namibians who depend on it for recreation, health and livelihood are entitled to know that it is safe and well managed,” he said.
The minister was additionally asked to account for the return the State had received on its investment in the redevelopment since 2014.
