Illegal logging claims at Avis Dam

The City of Windhoek says it will probe complaints that grass, trees and wood are being harvested illegally at Avis Dam.

This comes after Namibia Media Holdings received a complaint and photos from a concerned Avis resident who said persons, who hold permits to harvest grass on Windhoek's side roads, apparently drove trucks full of grass and wood from the dam.

Andreas Voigt said he called the City Police on several occasions to attend to the logging, but “the police often cannot interpret the permit, or they do not know what to do or simply stand and watch as the trucks are loaded”.

"It is obvious that even the wildlife in the area is becoming less. Windhoek's natural resources are being severely stripped," he lamented.

Vera Freyer - the chairperson of Greenspace, a non-governmental organisation in charge of the Avis Dam area - agreed with Voigts’ sentiments, adding that “the environment is being stripped because people make no distinction between which trees they harvest and whether they are alive or dry”.