KATIMA MULILO - Defence minister Frans Kapofi has sent a chilling message to poachers: “Your days are numbered.”
The minister had no kind words for cattle rustlers and poachers, telling them to desist from such tendencies, or face the full wrath of the law.
Kapofi made the remarks last week while officially launching the civil-military cooperation plan with his Botswana counterpart, Thomas Mmusi, at Katima Mulilo.
The plan aims to educate and sensitise both communities living along the border of Namibia and Botswana on all aspects of the border.
Kapofi is irked by the serious challenges along the shared border that range from illegal fishing, poaching, cattle theft, illegal border crossing and housebreaking at lodges along the Chobe and Zambezi rivers.
“Cattle theft and poaching are the most alarming, and this is something we must stamp out. It is disheartening that foreign nationals perpetrate these crimes and sometimes take advantage of our people’s hospitality.
“Sometimes you are hosting a relative, thinking it is an innocent relative, but you don’t know why he or she is there. The next time you see this guy disappear and you hear the cattle of this other one have disappeared,” he said.
He also called on communities to watch out for whether their visitors’ intentions are bona fide or not.
“Our citizens are hosting some of these criminals. You accommodate them; we know it’s your relatives. But sometimes it is these people who are perpetrating these crimes with our help, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Our civil program will address some of these problems,” Kapofi said.
He touched on the issue that Namibian borders with its neighbours are very porous, especially in the north-west.
“We are harbouring poachers. They come and kill our animals. They cross through here and go into Botswana to the parks because they know where the elephants are.
Those are the issues we are going to address. We have problems with cattle rustlers. I don’t know how many times people have complained of their cattle being herded from here to other places. We are addressing that problem very seriously,” he promised.
Cattle are the means of survival for people in Namibia and Botswana.
Furthermore, he said tourism is flourishing because of the flora and fauna in both countries. “We occupy this unique place. We must protect it so it continues to be beneficial to our people, now and in the future.”
Kapofi applauded the four traditional authorities in the Zambezi region, namely Masubia, Mafwe, Mashi and Mayeyi, for jointly partaking and agreeing to sensitise their communities regarding the launched plan.
“That’s the way to go. If our people are sensitised, then we will not have a problem. Our law-enforcement officers will never make it unless they have your cooperation, because every stranger will be reported. We will root them out. At Lake Lyambezi, we catch foreigners coming to take our fish and go sell it somewhere,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, Masubia Ngambela (prime minister) Albius Kamwi, who is the head of the four traditional authorities in the Ngambela forum, called on the members of their community to embrace the civil-military plan.
“Your involvement is crucial to the success of this plan. We urge our military personnel to continue demonstrating professionalism, compassion and respect in all their interactions with the community,” he said.
Kapofi further stressed that both communities should discourage hostility, and resort to solving issues
peacefully.
“Hostility will never solve our problems. It has never solved problems anywhere. We fight; sometimes we fight seriously, but that doesn’t mean we are no longer families. Sometimes I disagree with my wife, but that doesn’t mean she is not my wife. I am still her husband, for that matter. We have seen incidences, and we are addressing those incidences,” he added.
Kapofi then appealed to communities living alongside the common border, especially where there are no crossing markings, to live in harmony.
“What is your intention in crossing the border? You are not lost, but you are there. You must be able to explain yourself why you are there, so you don’t have to face conflict with the law. This program is meant to sensitise our people to what is there and what is not to be done,” he maintained.