The Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service’s failure to allocate sufficient funds has resulted in minimal progress towards the construction of a statue dedicated to Namibian sprinter Frank Fredericks.

In June 2018, then Minister of Information and Communication Technology Stanley Simataa announced in Parliament that Cabinet had unanimously agreed to honour the renowned sprinter by erecting a statue at the Independence Stadium in Windhoek.

Fredericks is the only Namibian male sprinter to have secured medals for the nation in the Olympics since Independence in 1990. His notable achievements include securing silver medals in both the 100 and 200-metre races during the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, an accomplishment that helped Namibia stake its claim on the global stage.

Five years down the line, no concrete steps have been taken to realise this commitment.

In a recent interview with Nampa, Minister of Sport, Youth and National Service Agnes Tjongarero disclosed that discussions on a budget for the statue are yet to take place.

“We have not started with the Frankie Fredericks statue. Maybe when they start doing the stadium, they might start with that also,” she remarked.

Tjongarero expressed her approval of the idea of erecting the statue, but clarified that the absence of budgetary provisions was the main hindrance to its realisation.

The minister added that she hopes the idea of the statue being brought to Cabinet’s attention once again will bring back the conversation, and hopefully, the required funds can be availed.

Back in 2018, Simataa indicated that the statue’s erection would adhere to the regulations in the Procurement Act, which governs the procurement of goods and services in Namibia.

Source: NAMPA