Namacunde – The governor of the province of Cunene, Gerdina Didalelwa, announced Wednesday the rehabilitation this year of the Oihole tourist compound, located in the municipality of Namacunde, 45 kilometers from the city of Ondjiva.
The space is where the Memorial of King Mandume-ya-Ndemufayo is erected, one of the most important historical figures of the resistance against colonial occupation in the south of the country.
The compound comprises the memorial and the tourist part, consisting of a gallery, administration, 20 castle-shaped buildings, a gym, convenience room and 16 rooms.
The governor, who was speaking during a visit to the memorial, as part of the commemorations of the 107th anniversary of the death in combat of King Mandume-ya-Ndemufayo, on February 6, 1917, in the town of Oihole, said that it is the government's responsibility to rehabilitate the Oihole tourist complex, with a view to giving dignity to the space and visitors.
“Right now, we are working to find a manager, but first an international competition will be held to find a company, with the capacity to explore the place and promote tourism and culture in the region”, she stated.
Didalelwa said that the operation of the complex will boost the functioning of services and attract a greater number of tourists, adding that they want to rely on the experience of neighboring Namibia in managing these services.
The rehabilitation will include the requalification of the King Mandume Memorial and the improvement of the road that connects the headquarters of Namacunde to the town of Oihole, a 14-kilometer route, she highlighted.
Gerdina Didalelwa recalled that in 2020, a committee was created to monitor work in the complex, but it did not work due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as financial difficulties.
Born in 1892, in the town of Embulunganga, municipality of Cuanhama, Mandume-ya-Ndemufayo is the son of Ndemufayo-ya-Haihambo and Ndapona ya Shikende
The Oihole tourist complex was opened on February 6, 2002.PEM/LHE/AC/DOJ
