30 Mar 2026

Prolonged closure of Moremi Game Reserve road due to flooding has affected some tourism operations, resulting in some leaders calling on the relevant department to look for alternative routes.

The road is strategic to tourism sector and reports have indicated that the most affected were mobile safari operators as some were forced to cancel trip bookings.

Linking Maun and Kasane, it is mostly used by tourism operators and tourists visiting the Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park and Moremi Game Reserve and currently the continuous floods experienced in Khwai  had worsened its condition.

This concern was raised when some councillors debated the North West District Council chairperson’s speech, noting that the majority of safari companies were operating in the Okavango Delta, which offered the premier adventure to travellers and the poor road network could negatively hurt the tourism industry.

Our region is a home to several tourist attractions such as Moremi as well as the delta and closure of the road has hindered accessing these areas, which provide for excellent game viewing and unique ecosystem diversity,” said nominated councillor, Mr Segolame Marewa.

He called on the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) to consider alternative routes leading to attractive sites to ensure continuity in the tourism sector, which he said was the cornerstone of the country.

This followed the announcement by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism through DWNP, to postpone the reopening of Moremi Game Reserve road initially scheduled for March 27. 

According to the ministry, the decision was necessitated by ongoing rainfall that continued to affect road conditions within the reserve, making accessibility a challenge.

The ministry had promised to continue monitoring the situation and provide updates to the public as and when necessary.

Another nominated councillor, Mr Kebareeditse Ntsogotlho expressed concern about the deteriorating state of the roads leading to tourism destinations, saying the situation impacted negatively on the sector.

While he appreciated that the country was facing economic crisis, he proposed that the time had come for safari operators in the delta to reserve a certain amount to complement the government toward roads maintenance to support better access to parks and reserves. In other countries, the system he said was working wonders as the companies invested a certain amount toward national infrastructure, including roads leading to tourist destinations.

“I believe its high time we adopt the same system and relieve the government the burden,” he added, calling on tourism companies to come forth and prioritise upgrading of the economic roads as they were crucial to ease access to tourism destinations as well as for connecting people, goods and services.

Mr Ntsogotlho further noted that hospitality facilities operating in Maun could do the same to boost the local council revenue collection because they relied on the council for services.

He also suggested that the council should apply for a concession in the delta and for a big portion of land in Maun where they could host big events like tourism expo, saying that could help in revenue collection.

Mr Ntsogotlho also urged Tawana Land Board to approach the issue of lease renewal with caution, saying there were concerns that some big concessions were under-utilised as investors only focused on small portions while the others remained idling.

Such big concessions, he said, could be zoned and allocated to locals interested in venturing into tourism projects to promote citizen participation in the industry.

“The board should not rush into renewing leases but look at factors such as the optimal use of the concession and beneficiation to the community living within the area,” he said.

However, in the chairperson’s speech regarding concessions, it was revealed that the land board continued to manage 38 tourism concessions across the region, supporting both consumptive and non-consumptive tourism activities.

While progress has been made in renewing some leases, challenges persisted and thus included ongoing legal disputes, non-compliance with lease payments, illegal land allocations and the absence of management plans in some concessions.

It was also highlighted that additionally, the increasing registration of matlotla and un-authorised land use changes within concession areas was a growing concern and that the cost of monitoring such areas also remained high due to their remoteness. ENDS