News

Kalahari’s sands harbour unusual treasures. The Devil’s Claw is one such gem, known to the indigenous people for centuries for its medicinal properties. Although its name stems from the claw-like hooks of the thorny fruit, it is the secondary tubers of the Harpagophytum procumbens that are harvested for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.

In 1896, rinderpest broke out in the Zambezi River region and spread through southern Africa like wildfire. According to estimates some 2.5 million head of cattle died in South Africa alone. Game died in similar numbers. The cattle plague spread to Namibia, then the German colony of South West Africa, in early April 1897. The cattle plagueeclipsed all livestock losses through animal diseases thus far. The transport network relied on ox wagons and was paralysed. Wagons with freight got stuck en route from Swakopmund to Windhoek because whole teams of oxen fell sick. 

Wild horses have lived in the vast stretches of the Namib Desert in the southwestern corner of Namibia for close to a century, in what was once the Sperrgebiet, forbidden diamond mining territory, and is now the Namib-Naukluft Park. They have captured our imaginations and our hearts, and have come to represent fierce survival, the strong and rugged spirit of Namibia, and – freedom.

With the completion of all renovations, Kalahari Anib Lodge has reopened to the public on 1 April 2016. The remodel was successfully completed within the three-month time frame. With the rebranding slogan implemented in 2014, the 'feel closer' theme has been applied to the design of the lodge. The Gondwana Collection wanted to enhance the experiences offered to guests and maintain and improve on the quality of their product. This was successfully achieved with the use of warm colours unique to the Kalahari Desert.

Older residents of Grootfontein still hold fond memories of the carpentry and blacksmith workshop of Hermann and August Deckert, which closed its doors for business thirty years ago. It was situated in the heart of the town and was the place to visit when a sturdy wagon or any spare part for the farm was needed or when a broken wagon wheel had to be mended. The workshop was also a popular meeting place for farmers where they could sit in cozy corners and catch up on the latest news events.

Gondwana promotes healthy lifestyles among its staff and as part of that supports the work of the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN). A professional CAN team will tour the country this year and visit our lodges to provide health education and valuable advice on healthy lifestyles. It will also offer cancer screening including pap smear, breast examination and prostate cancer examinations at the lodges as well as nearby villages and settlements. The CAN team will be assisted by local volunteers.

One of the greatest wonders and geological treasures in the world is the Namib Desert, which stretches for 2000km from the Olifants River in South Africa to the Carunjamba River in Angola through the entire western flank of Namibia. It is no wonder that the country is named after such a vast and ancient desert. Very few people know, however, that the person who was instrumental in coining the name ‘Namibia’ is still alive. Even less know that he had never visited the iconic desert, until recently at the age of 83.

Some YouTube channels will run hot later this month when well-known German comedian and web video producer Simon Desue is visiting Namibia at the invitation of EES (Eric Sell). Accompanied by a camera team they will travel around Namibia from 20 to 28 March and afford people all over the world an opportunity to see Namibia’s grand landscapes, its flora, fauna, its cultures and peoples through the artist duo’s eyes.

Those were the days when people stood in a one-metre-square steel cabin during winter, coin ready in one hand, telephone receiver in the other, waiting for the lady at the telephone exchange to say when to drop the tickey coin into the slot. Only then would the call go through. For generations of people in South Africa and Namibia, especially school children, students and young men doing their military service, the phone booth, also called Tickey Box, was the only connection to home, the farm or their sweethearts.