Fire destroys N$1.6m lodge in Kavango East

“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.