Sossusvlei concession questioned

Josef Petrus van der Westhuizen, chairperson of the Sida Namis Community Organisation, is calling for the cancellation of the Sossusvlei shuttle concession. In a public letter dated 26 October, he accuses the tourism ministry of a lack of transparency and inadequate consultation with local communities.

The dispute centres on the concession awarded to About Africa in 2024. According to the ministry at the time, the Maltahöhe and !Karkhoen communities were meant to benefit from the agreement. They were allocated a 75% share in the concession, with the remaining 25% retained by the state. However, concerns were already raised in 2024 over whether local residents had been adequately consulted during the awarding process.

Van der Westhuizen is now also questioning whether those who signed the agreement were authorised to represent the communities. He said he had approached tourism minister Indileni Daniel in February, raising concerns about inadequate consultation and uncertainty over how Maltahöhe residents would benefit from the deal.

Following another letter in April, Daniel reportedly assured him in late June that the matter was receiving priority attention. However, no satisfactory response has been received to date, Van der Westhuizen said. He is demanding access to the agreement, an investigation into the awarding process and a public timeline for resolving the matter. The concession had already sparked controversy in April this year over planned restrictions on self-drive visitors to Sossusvlei (AZ reported). Those restrictions were subsequently withdrawn.

Van der Westhuizen is now calling for the agreement to be cancelled through the appropriate legal procedures and for the concession to be reconsidered through a transparent process involving the affected communities. When approached for comment, ministry spokesperson Vilho Hangula said he first needed to establish whether the letters had reached the minister's office. He could not comment on documents merely circulating online.