WALVIS BAY – The Namibian Police (Nampol) in the Erongo Region were yesterday still following up all possible leads to recover the consignment of copper valued at about N$2,5 million that disappeared last week.
It is believed that the cargo went missing somewhere on the road between Katima Mulilo and Walvis Bay, a distance of hundreds of kilometres.
The Namibian Police Crime Investigator for the Erongo Region, Chief Inspector Erastus Iikuyu, yesterday said no one had been arrested yet.
“Information on the case was not supposed to be leaked out to the media as we were still in a very early stage of our investigation and it could jeopardise the case,” he said during the crime update on Sunday.
He said Nampol were pursuing all possible leads to recover the stolen copper.
The 30-tonne copper consigment disappeared about two weeks ago while being transported from the copper mining town of Kitwe in Zambia to Walvis Bay for shipment.
Swakopmund-based transport company, Van der Walt Transport, which was responsible for the transportation of the copper is now offering a N$10 000 reward for any information that could lead to the recovery of the missing cargo.
It is believed one of the company’s drivers, one Wilbard Malapi (44), was supposed to offload the consignment at Walvis Bay harbour. However, the consignment never reached Walvis Bay port and Malapi also mysteriously he did not report for work last week on Monday.
According to Nampol, fellow workers inspected the truck and found it was completely empty and the company management was under the impression that the cargo had already been off-loaded, as the truck was parked all weekend at the company’s designated parking in the harbour.
Malapi had allegedly asked to take the weekend off and the company was unable to contact him.
By Eveline de Klerk