Burglars caused extensive damage to the Keetmanshoop !Homs-Ai SME Park when they smashed the premises' glass doors to gain entry to offices and SME stalls. 

The break-in occurred over the weekend. 

Johannes Kisting, ||Kharas Regional Head for the Ministry of Industrialization and Trade, says police arrested one suspect in connection with the burglary. 

The regional head could, however, not say what items were stolen from the offices and the SME stalls during the burglary. 

"Basically, I was informed that during the weekend, there were some boys who broke in here, and I am thankful to the Namibian Police that they have apprehended those guys; they have been arrested. I understood that was one boy, and he is now in police custody. In terms of what actually has been stolen, I cannot rightfully say what was in these offices or what was in the stalls, but there was some equipment."

Kisting noted that no security guards were stationed at the building at the time of the burglary.

The regional head fears the SME Park risks becoming a costly white elephant. 

He says most tenants abandoned their stalls following the disconnection of electricity and water supply to the park about three years ago due to defaulted payments. 

"I hope really, and that is my humble plea to the management of NDC to look into this issue so that we really start this facility so that something happens, business people will be allowed to come back and do business; that's the only way you can grow our local economy; that's the only way you can provide employment; so really, it is a must; it must be done. That's the reason this facility was established." 

The state-owned enterprise, Namibia Industrial Development Agency (NIDA), formerly known as NDC, resorting under the Ministry of Industrialization and Trade, manages the SME Park.