The Ruacana Waterfalls in the Omusati Region remain a popular holiday destination, experiencing a surge of visitors during the Easter long weekend. Those NBC News spoke to said they are happy to see the waterfall but called on the government to erect road signs indicating its location, as first-time visitors find it hard to locate the falls. They also appealed to authorities to assign tour guides to lead visitors around and minimise the risk of accidents.

Jafet Kasheeta, a resident of Ondangwa, said, “I came here for fun to come see the waterfall; it has been a long time without viewing this amazing thing. It’s Easter, it’s a break, and we are visiting here. We just want the government to put up some signs because we were lost when we came here, and it was very difficult to find this place; maybe the government can at least upgrade the road signs.”

Laina Hangula, a resident of Elim, added, “It’s a beautiful Easter weekend. We need to refresh our minds and explore our country, see some attractions; it’s a really beautiful environment. You know we don’t have such views and falls in Ondangwa. We just came here to refresh.”

In the absence of tour guides at the waterfall, Angolan minors have been acting as guides, charging as little as N$5 to show visitors around the falls.

Ondangwa resident Fillemon Shinana shared that “During the high activity of the falls throughout the rainy season, many people take the time to go sightseeing and enjoy a refreshing breath of air as the sound of the water crashes against the rocks.”

Contacted for comment, Uukolonkadhi Conservancy manager Martha Kamati said they are aware of the concerns. With regard to the road signs, she said that the signs were there but were vandalised and have never been replaced. She added that the issue of a tour guide is secondary, as they are currently planning to renovate the dilapidated staircases as well as to put up camping infrastructure in the future.