“This is a difficult moment for me. I put in all my savings,” says Isdor Muronga, owner of Andara Lodge, which burnt to ashes on Tuesday.
The charred remains of the lodge in the Kavango East region are not just the aftermath of a fire, but remains of years of investments and sacrifice put into a future dream.
The property, which had been under construction since 2016, was supposed to welcome its first guests in December. Instead, six completed rooms have been reduced to ashes.
“We paused several times because of financial constraints but we were planning to open the first phase in December,” Muronga tells The Namibian.
The lodge had no guests at the time of the fire as it was still under construction.
It allegedly caught fire when one of its employees burnt garbage near the rooms. The fire started in one room before spreading to the others.
The rooms were built with river reeds, wooden poles and logs, making it vulnerable to fire.
The rooms are now burnt to ashes, with only a few drones, fridges and beds recovered.
Muronga says the employee who caused the fire will not face any consequences as it was “purely an accident”.
“Nothing will happen to the employee. We will simply provide them with awareness and training on how to handle fire around thatched places,” he says.
“I lost an estimated N$1.6 million in the fire,” he says.
Muronga is a resident of Andara village in the Mukwe constituency of the Kavango East region with no employment or other means of income. He says he has, for years, sacrificed to save up to build something he would be proud of in the future.
He says he has invested more than N$3 million over the years to build the project, adding that he is now back where he started.
“At this stage, I don’t know what to do or how I’m going to raise the funds to start all over again,” he says.
NO FIREFIGHTING SERVICES
Muronga believes the damage could have been less severe had there been a functioning firefighting service at the village.
The nearest firefighting vehicle, he says, is stationed at Divundu, which is about 15km away.
He says the vehicle was not operational following an accident.
This was also confirmed to The Namibian by Divundu Village Council chairperson Athanasius Maghumbo yesterday.
“The fire was reported when only one room was engulfed. My place could have been saved if there was a fire station or truck nearby,” Muronga says.
He says the project was supposed to be a source of income for himself and his family, and create employment for people in the village.
He is now seeking donations to rebuild the project from scratch.
