King Nehale Conservancy
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| King Nehale Conservancy | |
|---|---|
| Location | Oshikoto Region, Namibia |
| Nearest city | Omuthiya |
| Area | 43,000 ha (430 km2) |
| Established | September 2005 |
| Governing body | Conservancy committee; MEFT |
The King Nehale Conservancy is a communal conservancy on the northern fence of Etosha National Park in Oshikoto Region, Namibia. It is named for king Nehale lya Mpingana of Ondonga (eastern court at Okaloko / Oshitambi, c. 1885–1908), who led the 1904 attack on the German fort at Namutoni. Residents are mainly Oshindonga speakers under the Ondonga Traditional Authority. Published figures give an area of about 43,000 hectares (roughly 500 km²) and a population of about 20,000.[1]
The King Nehale Gate (Nehale lya Mpingana Gate) is the park entrance used from the north, toward Omuthiya and Ondangwa. The local name Okashana kuukongo wa Nehale (“Okashana, hunting ground of Nehale”) is also used for land under the sitting Ondonga king rather than a village headman.
Law
Communal conservancies rest on the Nature Conservation Amendment Act, 1996 (Act 5 of 1996), which inserted section 24A into the Nature Conservation Ordinance, 1975. A community must show a defined boundary, a constitution and a management body. The minister declares the area in the Government Gazette. A committee elected by members runs day-to-day work; the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism checks compliance. Income from trophy hunting, tourism joint ventures and crafts is meant to stay with residents.
Formation
After the 1996 law, the King Nehale community started registration in 1998. In the same year a road was built from the Etosha fence toward Okashana. Tulongeni Crafts was set up in 2002. The northern gate opened to the public in 2003. The Event Book system—community recording of wildlife sightings, poaching and problem animals—began that year. Registration followed in September 2005; environment minister Willem Konjore inaugurated the conservancy. Annual game counts started in 2010.[2]
Oshikoto later added Ekango Lyomongwa (Omuntele Constituency, gazetted September 2025), whose notice cited King Nehale as a working example.
Tourism
Gondwana Collection Namibia built Etosha King Nehale lodge about a kilometre north of the park fence, inside the conservancy. The opening planned for May 2020 was delayed by COVID-19; the ceremony on 9–10 December 2022 (“A night with the King”) was attended by king Fillemon Shuumbwa Nangolo, minister Pohamba Shifeta and conservancy leaders. The main building is planned as a Nguni-bull head with chalets as horns. Auction funds were directed to guest quarters at the Ondonga palace at Onambango.
By that date Gondwana had paid about N$1.4 million to the conservancy and N$214,000 to the traditional authority, and N$500,000 in park fees for an exclusive waterhole inside Etosha. The ministry called the joint venture a case study. Training and jobs for local residents are part of the agreement.[3]
Social spending
Revenue has gone into clinic rooms at Omboto, Oshiya, Ohayiyanda, Ohalweendo / Alweendo and Omutsegwonime. In December 2024 chairperson Fabian Venasiu told the annual meeting at Omuthiya that infrastructure begun in 2023 was budgeted at about N$545,000. Coordinator Esther Petrus reported consultation rooms completed in 2024.
Land and water
In October 2025 the conservancy and Omuthiya town council disputed the Othithiya springs, about 10 km from town on the gravel road to the gate, where wildlife drinks. Representative Martin Elago said the springs lie inside the conservancy and that any development needed its consent.[4]
Fencing and crop units further north, styled Okashana kuukongo wa Nehale, have been defended by the Ondonga authority as land the king may allocate for food production.
See also
- Nehale lya Mpingana
- Etosha National Park
- Namutoni
- Omuthiya
- Ondonga
- Ondonga Traditional Authority
- Okaloko
- Onambango
- Fillemon Shuumbwa Nangolo
- Communal conservancy
References
- ↑ "King Nehale Experience". Visit Namibia. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ "King Nehale Conservancy" (PDF). NACSO / Environmental Information Service. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ "Official opening of Etosha King Nehale". Gondwana Collection Namibia. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ "King Nehale conservancy fights Omuthiya Town Council development over vital Etosha water source". The Namibian. 7 October 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
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