A 39-year-old resident of the Zambezi Region charged with the rape of a 60-year-old tourist near a tourist establishment in 2021 has denied any guilt for the crime when he appeared in the Katima Mulilo Magistrates Court on Friday.

Boniface Lubembo also pleaded not guilty to other charges laid against him, namely attempted murder, robbery, and assault.

Lubembo, who let go of his first legal aid lawyer after conflicting instructions, has again opted not to make further use of a second legal aid lawyer. 

Tourist arrivals in Namibia have made a remarkable recovery of 28.9% following the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Statistics released by the Minister of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, indicate that the tourism period spanning from 2021 to 2022 has witnessed a substantial surge in international and inbound tourist arrivals, registering a remarkable increase of 98.1% compared to the pandemic-affected period of 2020 to 2021.

In 2021, the number of arrivals amounted to 232,757.

International tourist arrivals at Sossusvlei have increased in 2022 compared to the past two years.

The COVID-19 pandemic wrecked the sector, and there will be no tourist arrivals in 2020.

Sossusvlei in southern Namibia is internationally famous for having spectacular landscapes.

Tourists flock here to see and climb some of the tallest sand dunes in the world.

The area is home to Deadvlei, where ancient dead camelthorn trees are found, and it is a paradise for photographers.