30 August 2025
This morning we drive about 40 km out of Windhoek to visit the Na’ankuse Foundation Wildlife Sanctuary. On our way we drive through wide flat gently undulating low scrubby countryside with occasional rocky outcrop hills, and see kudu, Chackwa baboons and oryx.
The Na’ankuse Foundation opened in 2007 and is based on a 10,000 hectare nature reserve. It is run by Namibian conservationist Marlice van Vuuren and her husband Rudie. Na’ankuse is funded by voluntary donations and relies on the time of volunteers to continue its projects. The wildlife sanctuary accommodates orphaned, injured and human-habituated animals that cannot be released safely back into the wild including leopards, lions, cheetah, wild dogs and baboons all housed in purpose-built enclosures. Besides the sanctuary the establishment also runs a carnivore conservation research programme, a pre-primary school, and a clinic for the San people.
The carnivore research project helps protect and conserve large wild carnivores and reduce human-wildlife conflict. Captured cats are fitted with a radio collar before being released back into the wild allowing Na’ankuse to track their movements, check on their condition and gain a better understanding of their ecology for future conservation. The project also works to relocate proven problem animals (those that prey on farmers’ cattle) to safer conservation areas and reduce the number needlessly shot or killed.
In the Wildlife Sanctuary we see a variety of different animals including caracal, cheetah, lions, leopards, hyena and Painted Dogs. On one hand it is sad that we are seeing them in enclosures behind wire but it is a wonderful opportunity for us to see these animals up close and observe behaviour such as feeding that we wouldn’t normally have a chance to see. One example is the caracal that doesn’t leap forward, only up – it jumps up to capture birds in flight. It is emphasised to us that these animals are ones that wouldn’t survive if they weren’t in the Sanctuary: there are orphaned cheetah triplets that had not been taught to hunt by their mother so can’t be released to the wild (keepers are not able to show them all that is required); a brown hyena is very old and had been shot in the leg and gut; brother and sister leopards were rescued when their pregnant mother was shot.
After lunch we visit Penduka Village, a development and training enterprise for over 500 underprivileged women. The social enterprise offers work to the women and provides them with craft design and management skills. There is a big contrast between the city of Windhoek and the slum suburbs we pass on the way to Penduka, including one area whose name means ‘the area where no-one wants to live’.
Penduka has operated for the past three decades, committed to its legacy of empowering women in Namibia to overcome unemployment and poverty. They firmly believe in the equality of all individuals, regardless of their social background, tribal heritage, or physical disabilities. Their doors are open to women from all walks of Namibian society, providing them with valuable exposure and experience in various areas such as production (embroidery, sewing, jewellery making, pottery), inventory management, retail, hospitality, and customer service. Throughout their journey with Penduka, these women thrive in a supportive and empowering environment, gaining skills that transcend the workplace.
Several people bring books and toys for the children. Anne brings a soccer ball. Unfortunately it is Saturday so there are no children around. Also there is no one working in the workshops just the manager who has stayed to show us around. But it is fabulous to see the variety of different crafts that are taught, including batik painting, hand embroidery and jewellery making. There are 24 permanent staff who stitch the creations into cushions and bags etc, but women are involved from over 250km away – one village has 150 women hand embroidering scenes from their daily lives; another village embroiders elephants and rhinos for cushion covers. We are shown the process of batik painting in the workshop and learn that even the drop cloths covering the tables are made into bags.
In the jewellery workshop we see various ways that they make beads. Recycled glass is broken down and then heated in moulds in a kiln to make beads. Coloured magazines are cut, glued and rolled to make beads. And even cut up bike tyres are stitched with coloured thread to make earrings.
Then Wian takes us on a City Tour – largely following Independence Avenue. We see two state hospitals from the apartheid era – one each for whites and nonwhites. There is a gold building that is a brand new political party headquarters. There are many German buildings from its time as a German colony (from 1884 to the end of WWI), including a fort. We see a German church – where there are a lot of weddings today. Parliament buildings are surrounded by beautiful grounds. There is a War Museum commemorating the war against apartheid and celebrating their independence in 1990 (between 1959 and 1989 the area was known as Southwest Africa and administered by South Africa).
Namibia is generally a safe place but you still have to watch out for pickpockets and Wian doesn’t want us going out alone at night time.
In the evening we all go to a fascinating place called Joe’s Beerhouse for dinner that has memorabilia of all sorts crammed in everywhere. Joe originally had a smaller restaurant and sought out the current site when he has collected too much memorabilia. Then people started contacting him to see if he wanted their treasures as well. There is even a Mini Cooper on the roof that was left behind by two Portuguese travellers!
Anne and I tried a Bushman’s Sosastie that is a bbq skewer threaded with zebra, yudu, oryx, springbok and giraffe (usually crocodile but the didn’t have any). I’m not a big red meat eater and not a fan of strong gamey meat but I was very pleasantly surprised.
Jaegermaster is a herbal digestive liqueur that Namibians drink more of per capita than anywhere else. Of course I had to try it – and concluded that I could be Namibian.
There is also a cake for dessert to celebrate Bunnik’s 30th birthday.
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