Environmental Reporter
TWO banner images, designed and produced at thousands of Namibian dollars and used by the Namibian Tourism Board (NTB) to promote the wildlife of the country at the most influential tourism fairs in Europe, USA, Asia, the Middle East, and the African Continent, again exposed the environment ministry and its agencies, like the NTB and NWR, as totally ignorant.
The two banners depicted a Thompson’s Gazelle, which does not and has never occurred in Namibia, and a AI ‘slop’ elephant, altered to look as if it were in motion with a human-like foot and right hind leg, evoking laughter and embarrassment in equal measure at an event in one of Windhoek’s most exclusive hotels meant to promote Namibian wildlife that actually doesn’t exist.
The mishap is another nail in the coffin of NWR resorts and the inept Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), where rubbish dumps are overflowing on the doorsteps of resorts and camps, a gemsbok eating a discarded hamburger, and concession areas that are mired in controversy from every corner.
Ironically, the NTB partners promoting the “Namibian” Thompson’s Gazelle and the Namibian elephant with “shoes” were South African Airways and the Namibian Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), which is also mired in controversy due to questions about value for money. The Mamparra of the Year Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medal goes to all three and might not be achieved by anyone or any institution for the remainder of 2026. (Pictures from a deeply embarrassed Namibian)
