By Kaundjire Humbu
Shark Island in Lüderitz is set for a change in management, as the Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) confirmed that it is in the process of handing the site over to the National Heritage Council.
In a response to Confidente dated 17 September 2026, NWR acting managing director Margaret Gustavo said the handover follows a cabinet decision of 9 November 2021 concerning the future management of Shark Island.
Gustavo also confirmed that NWR has not conducted any activities or operations at Shark Island since 2025.
NWR has directed further enquiries about the management and future activities of the site to the heritage council, which is expected to provide information on what will happen to the site after the handover.
Shark Island is a small peninsula adjacent to Lüderitz in the //Kharas Region.
The site was declared a national heritage site on 15 February 2019 because of its historical significance.
The peninsula is known for its association with the German colonial concentration camp established there during the 1904 to 1908 war against the OvaHerero and Nama.
The camp operated from 1905 to 1907 and held thousands of prisoners.
A 2026 environmental assessment for the Lüderitz port expansion states that the camp is believed to have accommodated approximately 2 000 Ovaherero and 2 000 Nama prisoners during its existence, although the number held at any one time was lower.
Prisoners were subjected to forced labour and worked on projects including railway and harbour construction.
Many died from disease, malnutrition, harsh working conditions and mistreatment.
Historical research has estimated that thousands of prisoners died in the Lüderitz camps, while the final locations of many of their remains remain uncertain.
The camp was closed in 1907, after which remaining prisoners were transferred to Radford Bay.
Historical accounts indicate that many of those who died at Shark Island were buried in mass graves or their bodies were disposed of in the surrounding area and ocean.
The site later became a tourism destination and was managed by NWR.
Its use as a tourism facility has, however, been a subject of concern among descendants and traditional leaders, who have called for greater recognition of the site’s history and the people who died there.
In 2020, Nama and OvaHerero traditional leaders raised concerns about the use of Shark Island for recreational activities and camping, saying the site should receive greater recognition as a place of historical significance.
The heritage status of Shark Island has also brought increased attention to archaeological evidence at the site.
A 2024 investigation identified locations associated with imprisonment, forced labour and other activities during the concentration camp period.
Researchers also raised concerns about possible human remains in and around the peninsula. A more recent environmental assessment linked to the planned expansion of the port of Lüderitz recorded archaeological investigations at Shark Island.
The assessment states that a 2024 survey identified seven significant sites, six of which appear to be associated with the former concentration camp.
The findings have increased calls for the protection of we site’s archaeological and historical remains.
The developments have raised concerns about possible impacts on historical sites and graves around the peninsula, prompting calls for archaeological investigations and consultations with affected communities.
Speaking to Confidente, the spokesperson of the Okandjoze Chiefs Assembly on Genocide Hirukuevi Ratauka Kaapama said:” The transfer is a pivotal moment for restorative justice and sacred memorialization.
“For decades, operating a commercial campsite and holiday accommodation on top of a concentration camp, where thousands of OvaHerero and Nama people perished under brutal conditions, was a severe historical distortion. Commercializing a site of mass death, execution, forced labor, and medical atrocities reduced sacred ground to a “money-making venture,” he added.
He added that this handover shifts the framing of Shark Island from recreation and revenue to reverence, education, and historical truth.
“Reclaiming this land removes the indignity of tourists camping over potential burial grounds and allows the space to serve its rightful purpose: a memorial site honoring the ancestors and preserving the memory of the 1904–1908 genocide”.
Kaapama is of the opinion that co-managing the site through a structured framework under Section 58 of the National Heritage Act (Act No. 27 of 2004) is the proper institutional pathway forward.
“Section 58 allows the National Heritage Council to enter into formal agreements with local authorities, traditional authorities, or community bodies to manage protected heritage places.”
According to him, a joint management committee comprising the Nama Traditional Authorities, OvaHerero Traditional Authorities, National Heritage Council, and Lüderitz Town Council is ideal.
