Reho Spa recreation facility closes its doors

REHO Spa, once Rehoboth’s prime recreation facility, has closed its doors.

Its telephone lines and water and electricity supply have also been cut.Ralph Blaauw, who manages the resort, on Friday confirmed its closure but denied that the telephone and municipal services had been disconnected.Blaauw claimed that they are renovating some of the bungalows. Furthermore, he said, the telephone line was just unplugged and they have a dispute about their municipal bills with the Rehoboth Town Council.As a result of the renovations, the staff were given leave, he said.Telecom officials, however, said the service had been cut.On his part, Jeffrey Kasupi, the town council’s spokesperson, said he was unaware of a dispute. ‘We have a credit control policy and if your arrears exceed a certain amount, the services are cut.’When The Namibian visited Reho Spa over the weekend, the gate was open, but the premises were deserted. There was no sign of any renovation being done.The water in both the big and small pool was green with algae. Broken windows and doors characterise the place.A tourist, who wanted to check in for the weekend, arrived at the gate and was furious that the place was closed. ‘There is nothing here.’Rehoboth residents and visitors to the town also expressed their dissatisfaction at the closure of the resort.On Friday, Blaauw said they have applied to the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA) to be registered as a ‘tourism, training and hospitality centre’.NQA director Franz Gertze confirmed that an application for registration was received. A decision has not yet been taken on whether the application would be granted, he said.