By Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK
The Namibian Police say unconfirmed reports suggest that black markets may exist in Zimbabwe where Namibian dollars are being exchanged.
The police noted this in the context of enquiries posed to them on the Zimbabwean nationals who were incarcerated for a series of armed bank robberies of four Standard Bank branches in Windhoek, Okahandja and Gobabis.
It is, however, not yet clear how the robbers disposed of the money stolen, or how much of the money has so far been recovered.
The bank robbers so far nabbed are Oscar Mlule, Mthulisi (Happy) Sibanda, Matole (Themba) Nasiosus, Plan (Klowane) Ndebele, and Moyo Sikhumbuzo formerly regarded as the mastermind behind the series of armed robbers.
The men are to appear in the magistrate’s court in Gobabis on July 18 following further investigation.
The police further said it could also not be ascertained if the robbers were ex-soldiers in Zimbabwe, or if they have committed other crimes in other southern African countries.
What was confirmed, however, is that the robbers did make multiple entries into the Namibian border using the white Nissan Navara that eventually gave one of the suspects, Mlule, away after witnesses to the Gobabis robbery identified the pick-up as the getaway vehicle.
The police said the incident was an isolated case where criminals target banks in a foreign country. Other cases of cross-border crimes so far involved stealing of animals and vehicles that found their way to the borders of other countries.
“Because of the close cooperation between the forces in the SADC region, fugitives from another country were apprehended and brought to stand trial for their deeds,” said Chief Inspector Angula Amulungu of the Namibian Police.
“While exhibits used in the commission of crimes were confiscated (in the vehicle and animal theft cases) and in some cases were repatriated to the country of origin, in some instances those exhibits are kept by the host country to allow for the finalization of such cases in a court of law, and other exhibits such as animals are normally handed over to the rightful owners after positive identification.”
Kauku Hengari of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration earlier told New Era that the immigration office currently does not have a system in place to monitor people’s movements once they are inside the country, unless there has been a forewarning that places visitors under suspicion.
He did, however, say that the offices are being provided with an automated computerized system that would link immigration entry points to a main service at head office.
“In future, we will thus be able to monitor people’s movements,” he commented. “Our hope is to have the system in place before 2010 because we expect a huge influx of visitors then,” said Hengari.
Amulungu noted that the police have a division entirely devoted to the prevention of cross-border crimes.
In the case of the Zimbabwe robbers, it is unclear whether they have sleeper cells inside Namibia or local accomplices who provided them with intelligence and accommodation, and the police would not shed light on this.
Namibia has similarly entered into various joint commissions to control and exchange information on a number of issues, which allows law enforcement agencies of the various southern African countries to liaise with their counterparts.