Daan Viljoen Game Park

The Daan Viljoen Nature Reserve project is a 30-year PPP between Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) and the Prosperity Group (via subsidiary San Karros Lifestyle Safari) to rehabilitate dilapidated tourism infrastructure. The project involved an initial $40 million investment, with further phases planned for a conference facility and a medical tourism park. Implementation faced significant hurdles, including the absence of a national PPP policy and unit, bureaucratic delays, and labor disputes resulting from the requirement to absorb state employees at non-market salary rates. Environmental challenges include poaching, illegal firewood harvesting, and encroachment from the Otshimushe informal settlement. Despite these barriers and initial over-capitalization, the project has reached a balance of income and expenditure and has contributed to the development of Namibia's national PPP policy.

• The PPP follows a 'lease, rehabilitate, operate, transfer' model with a 30-year leasing right granted to San Karros Lifestyle Safari, featuring a profit-sharing agreement where Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) receives a small share of profits.
• Financial investment in the park's infrastructure is phased: $40 million was spent on the initial revamp of bungalows, restaurants, and landscape; $30 million is planned for a second phase to create a 350-seater conference facility and luxury units; and a third phase for a medical tourism park (spa and wellness centre) is expected to cost N$15 to N$18 million.
• The project encountered severe institutional barriers due to the lack of a national PPP Act, regulations, or a dedicated government PPP unit at the time of the transaction, forcing NWR to seek individual approval from the Cabinet Committee on Overall Policy and Priority.
• Labor complications arose because the private partner was required to employ former state workers whose salaries were unrelated to private sector grades, leading to situations where under-qualified staff earned four times the market rate for menial tasks.
• Environmental and spatial challenges include the encroachment of the Otshimushe informal settlement on the park's eastern boundary, pollution of water sources, illegal hunting, poaching, and the illegal harvesting of firewood.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2012). Daan Viljoen Game Park. https://saiia.org.za/saiia-toolkit/daan-viljoen-game-park/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Daan Viljoen Game Park. 2012. https://saiia.org.za/saiia-toolkit/daan-viljoen-game-park/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Daan Viljoen Game Park |date=24 July 2012 |url=https://saiia.org.za/saiia-toolkit/daan-viljoen-game-park/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2012daan, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Daan Viljoen Game Park}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2012}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/saiia-toolkit/daan-viljoen-game-park/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }