BY THEMBA ZWANE
MBABANE — The City of Windhoek, in Namibia, is set to bring a major delegation to Eswatini for the 2026 Southern Africa Inter-Municipal Sports Association (SAIMSA) Games, with the Namibian capital proposing to spend approximately E3.3 million on the trip.
The proposed expenditure will facilitate the participation of 170 municipal employees and 11 councillors, bringing the total proposed delegation to 181 people for the regional Games scheduled for September 20 to 25, 2026.
The development highlights the regional significance of the Eswatini-hosted event, which is expected to bring municipal officials and employees from across Southern Africa together through sport, networking and professional interaction.
According to Namibia’s The Namibian, the estimated E3.3 million will cover transportation, vehicles, accommodation, food, subsistence and travel allowances, logistics and security requirements.
The investment by the City of Windhoek demonstrates the scale of its planned participation in the Games and the importance attached to the regional sporting platform.
City of Windhoek communications manager Harold Akwenye said the municipality viewed the Games as more than a recreational activity, pointing to their contribution to employee wellness, teamwork, networking and relationship-building among municipal officials from different countries.
The participation is also expected to provide opportunities for officials from Windhoek and municipalities in other participating countries to interact, exchange experiences and strengthen professional relationships.
For Eswatini, hosting the Games presents an opportunity to welcome a sizeable international municipal delegation and showcase the Kingdom to visitors from across the Southern African region.
The arrival of international participants is also expected to support activity in sectors such as accommodation, transport, hospitality, tourism, retail and other services during the Games.
The proposed Windhoek delegation will comprise 170 employees and 11 councillors, with the city indicating that arrangements will be made to ensure that essential municipal services continue while officials are away.
The proposed E3.3 million expenditure is, however, subject to the applicable approval processes in Namibia, and the final delegation and cost had not yet been confirmed at the time of The Namibian’s report.
Wilhelmine Shivute, executive director in Namibia’s Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, told The Namibian that the ministry had not yet received the City’s formal request for approval for the international trip.
The SAIMSA Games will nevertheless provide a regional platform for municipal employees to connect through sport while strengthening people-to-people relations between Southern African municipalities.
Windhoek’s planned participation, backed by an estimated E3.3 million investment, adds significant regional representation to the Eswatini-hosted Games and reinforces the event’s potential to promote sporting exchange, municipal networking and regional cooperation.
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(Courtesy Pic)
