250211005352 - Renewal of the Environmental Clearance Certificate for the Proposed Township Establishment on Portion 143 of Farm Townlands of Gobabis No. 114, Omaheke Region

Gobabis is the capital of the Omaheke Region, and is situated approximately 200 kilometers from the capital city Windhoek. As the gateway to Botswana and Namibia’s major trading partner South Africa, Gobabis’ location along the Trans-Kalahari Corridor serves it well, as goods transported from the mines in Botswana to the port of Walvis Bay and those transiting through Botswana from South Africa contribute greatly to the growth of the town. The town lies approximately 110 kilometers from the Buitepos border post. Agriculture is one of the main sources of income in the Omaheke Region coming second only to wages and salaries (NSA, 2011) and the importance of this role has been recognized as such in the Gobabis Structure Plan. Gobabis is also renowned as the ‘Cattle Country” and the hub of agricultural activity in the region. The above has led to Gobabis becoming a growth point in the region, and resultantly putting pressure on the local authority to provide basic services such as housing, water, sanitation and energy. The Municipality has resolved to allocate a portion of Portion 143 of Gobabis Townlands No. 114 to Kanduu Designing and Construction cc for the establishment of a township. The proponent appointed Environam Consultants Trading cc (ECT) to undertake the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in order to obtain an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) for the activity from the Office of the Environmental Commissioner in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT). The ECC was issued in December 2020 and has subsequently expired in December 2023. The proponent has however always been committed to proceed and implement the development. It is on this basis that the proponent has engaged ECT to apply for the renewal of the previously issued ECC.