Daan Viljoen Game Park

This case study describes a Public Private Partnership (PPP) established in 2008 between Namibian Wildlife Resorts (NWR) and the Prosperity Group (via its subsidiary San Karros Lifestyle Safari) to rehabilitate and operate the Daan Viljoen Nature Reserve. The project follows a lease-rehabilitate-operate-transfer model with a 30-year lease and a profit-sharing agreement, aimed at transforming NWR into a profitable state tourism business.

• The PPP involved a three-phase investment plan to address dilapidated infrastructure. The first phase saw $40 million spent on camp sites, bungalows, restaurants, and landscaping. A second phase planned a $30 million investment to create a 350-seater conference facility and 10 to 12 luxury units. A third phase, expected to start in 2013 with a cost of N$15 to N$18 million, involves establishing a medical tourism park featuring a spa and wellness centre for post-surgery recovery and stress treatment.
• The project faced significant institutional and regulatory barriers due to the absence of a national PPP Act, regulations, or a dedicated government PPP unit at the time of the transaction. This forced NWR to submit its own approach to the Cabinet Committee on Overall Policy and Priority and required frequent, time-consuming requests for mandates from higher state organs. Consequently, the government's inexperience and lack of public sector transaction advisors slowed the pace of the deal.
• Labor relations presented a major challenge as San Karros 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. This created friction with new staff hired at market rates and led to industrial action and protests from previous NWR employees who claimed a lack of consultation before the PPP was advertised.
• Environmental and spatial challenges include the encroachment of the Otshimushe informal settlement onto the park's eastern boundary, which impacts water quality. Other issues include illegal hunting, poaching, and the illegal harvesting of firewood. While the private partner monitors these issues, responsibility for managing water quality and poaching rests with NWR and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.
• The Daan Viljoen project has served as a precedent for building public and private sector capacity in Namibia's tourism PPPs. Experiences from this project have informed a draft national PPP policy currently being developed by the government, which includes discussions regarding the establishment of a formal PPP Unit.

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} }