07 Oct 2025

Following concerns by some members of the public with regard to the closure of popular river front chilling areas of Matlapana and The Big Tree, a task team has been assigned to work on modalities on how best the areas can be well managed and controlled.

Situated along the Thamalakane River, the two sites attract a lot of people who throng them for recreational activities leading to significant amounts of litter being left behind, degrading the natural beauty of the areas.

The issue attracted a lot of public interest on social media as many called on relevant authorities to act and address issues of waste management, some calling for bold steps to unlock the recreational potential of the district.

Some proposed that the sites be fenced while others castigated the authorities for banning people from visiting the areas saying that could negatively affect local tourism.

North West district commissioner, Mr Thabang Waloka confirmed in an interview that following concerns of environmental issues at the popular attraction sites, they convened an urgent meeting with key stakeholders where they assigned a task team to come up with proposals and recommendation on how best the areas could be properly managed and utilised in a sustainable manner.

He appreciated that the sites were highly sought after for their natural beauty and their relaxing atmosphere but stressed that they need to be protected as well to maintain their beauty.

“We have received disturbing reports that the sites experienced an influx of travellers during the just-ended independence holidays, resulting in a lot of littering and other illegal activities,” he said.

Mr Waloka is of the view that waterfront sites must be environmentally sensitive to protect vulnerable ecosystems and minimise human impact citing the need to manage waste and water properly to prevent pollution using sustainable ways.

While he appreciated that public access was important for social and economic reasons, he said it must be balanced with the need to protect sensitive areas.

The intention, he said was to ensure the sites were managed and controlled to ensure both enjoyable public use and ecological health citing Rundu beach in Namibia, a place that he said was well managed as it had ablution and waste facilities and offered opportunities for people to connect with nature in a responsible manner.

“We want to instil the concept here so that people, including families can have fun and create lasting memories. We do appreciate that our area is a tourist destination and when travellers come here, they boost our local economy hence we have to do things right so that all benefit”.

Furthermore, Mr Waloka highlighted that plans were underway to transform Maun into a green city and failure to be environmentally sensitive could undermine government efforts to achieve that and he appealed to members of the community to play their role towards protection of the river. ENDS