Hordes of minor children, who were allegedly smuggled into Namibia to take up jobs as street vendors in Windhoek, are finding it hard to survive and are now pleading with authorities to come to their aid.

These minors are usually spotted at shopping malls across Windhoek, selling wooden products such knobkieries, cups, and spoons.

Although it is a popular belief that they hail from Angola, most of them refuse to disclose where they come from, thereby honouring their master’s directive not to reveal their origin, real names, parents’ names, or anything about their stay in Namibia.  

Based on their appearance – from the hairstyles to the pieces of chitenge and body ornaments on top of the language they speak – they seem to belong to a Mwila tribe found in the Huila province in Angola.

This week, New Era caught up with some of these minor vendors in Windhoek’s CBD, who agreed to speak on condition that their real names are not mentioned.   

Chief among their needs is the desire to be absorbed into schools.

Speaking through an interpreter, *Tjamukati (7) confirmed that she hails from Angola’s Chibia area, in the Huila province, although she does not have any document to confirm her nationality.

‘I want to be in school’

Harbouring the desire to become a medical doctor, Tjamukati told this newspaper that she is weary of toiling on the streets of Windhoek, sometimes on a hungry stomach. 

“I want to go back to school. I am tired of selling and begging for money from people. Life is tough here. We are hungry and do not have a decent place to sleep,” she said. 

Tjamukati said seeing Namibian children her age going to school and having uneducated elder siblings has inspired her to get educated.

“I want to be a doctor, so I can go treat people in my village, especially my family,” she said.

She revealed that having lost contact with the family that initially brought her to Namibia, she now shares a house with fellow vendors in the Stop ‘n Shop area of Okuryangava, Windhoek. 

The exodus

*Pauline embarked on a mission to Namibia in the company of other villagers in 2021 in search of food and money. Narrating her ordeal, she said she was sent by her parents to Namibia to work for “someone” and is expected to send money back home to Angola every month-end.   

“My mother gave me to our neighbour to take me with to Namibia. I was a bit excited but at the same time worried as it was not clear what kind of a job I am going to do/get. It took us about three days to get to Namibia as there was no proper transport and at some point, we had to walk long distances,” Pauline narrated.

Upon their arrival in Namibia, Pauline said she and other minor children were loaded onto a bus destined for the capital. They were welcomed by two women who clarified their terms of engagement for the first time. 

“They told us that the following day we will start selling the wooden items and we will get N$3 per every N$10 we make,” Tjamukati said, adding that selling in the streets has been very difficult since the merchandise is not necessarily “flying off their hands” and days go by without having made a single sale.  

Begging is easier than selling

Tjamukati story is not any different from that of a 14-year-old mother of one who claims to hail from Otchinjau, Angola. 

The young mother, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said she entered Namibia through the Oshikango border post. 

She admits that most Angolan vendors in Namibia use unauthorised channels to cross into the country since they do not possess travel documents.  

The minor’s version was corroborated by another illegal immigrant from Angola who also wanted to stay anonymous.

“There are different ways to get into Namibia. I, for example, crossed the border during the day pretending that I was just going shopping and would be back, but I never returned to Angola,” the source said. 

After giving New Era a glimpse into her journey and way of life as a street vendor, the minor took time to appreciate Namibia’s peace and stability.

She said surviving in Namibia is very difficult as many Angolan vendors are selling the same items. 

“Sometimes I just walk to town to beg because it is hard to sell,” she said. 

The young mother also expressed a desire to go back to school so she may one day become a teacher. 

However, she worries that without either a Namibian or Angolan identity documents that dream will remain just that – a dream.

She pleaded with the Namibian government to assist her and other minors in getting identification documents so they may have access to services such as education and health. 

It has emerged that many of the minor vendors are stateless persons born to parents in isolated rural areas who never acquired documents. As such, the absence of nationality documents has made it difficult for them (parents) to get documents for the minors.

Govt response

The 1954 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness require State Parties to identify stateless persons in their territories and issue them with identity and travel documents and a facilitated path to nationality through naturalisation.

The Namibian authorities have expressed their willingness to assist and address the plea of the stateless minors in the country, provided that their originality is ascertained. 

“It is hard for the ministry to pronounce itself as we are yet to establish the nationality of the minors. If they are Namibian, our office is ready to usher assistance to ensure that these kids are documented for them to be able to be absorbed in Namibian schools,” said chief public relations officer at Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security Magreth Kalo.

 She added that if the children are non-Namibian, the ministry will have to establish their origin and how they got into Namibia, after which they will “work with their ambassador to render them the necessary assistance”.

The Namibian Police too have acknowledged the mushrooming of minor vendors in various towns in Namibia.

Police spokesperson, Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi said although they are aware of the presence of the minors, they could not confirm whether the children are trafficked and employed.

“This matter is a collective responsibility and thus requires several stakeholders’ involvement to address the children’s issues. Stakeholders include the ministries of gender, labour, immigration, and police… These children are in many towns across the country. However, so far, our office responsible for trafficking in persons has not received any reports in that regard,” she said.

Violations of Childcare and Protection Act

The office of the Ombudsman indicated that the condition and employment of the minors violates Namibia’s Childcare and Protection Act. 

According to Aureli David, the public relations officer at the office of the Ombudsman, while children are allowed to do reasonable work such as household chores, when there is an element of exploitation for economic gain or force, it is considered as forced labour. 

“As for the children selling items in the street, the first thing that needs to be done is to establish where they come from, and who their parents or guardians are. This will enable authorities to determine a course of redress. If they are foreign nationals as is assumed, then it becomes an immigration issue,” said David. 

She, however, maintained that having children (under 18) conducting economic activities instead of being in school is a human rights issue for the Children’s Advocate to investigate. 

“At the moment, we do not have a formal inquiry into the matter,” she said.

Angolan embassy 

The embassy of Angola in Namibia is cognizant of the children in Namibia but questioned their Angolan nationality.

A senior official within the embassy, who asked not to be named, maintained that the only way to prove their citizenship is by presenting identification documents such as birth certificates, which the children claim not to possess.  

The embassy further said that although the children are perceived to be of Angolan nationality, Namibian authorities such as the Namibian Police, home affairs and immigration ministry, and international relations ministry have not made any formal submission of any criminal cases against these children to the Angolan embassy yet.

The embassy maintained that due to the absence of formal communication between the two government authorities, the embassy is not able to pronounce itself on the way forward. However, it stated that Angola has comprehensive systems of children’s rights protection and does not support child labour or any other child exploitation.

The office did, however, express willingness to collaborate with other stakeholders provided that the evidence from the authorities proves the children to be Angolan nationals.

- lnashuuta@gmail.com