KONGOLA – The Namibian Police and Namibian Defence forces have warned the public against illegal border crossing and poaching in protected areas. 

Further warnings have been against the transit of illicit goods, stressing the life-threatening risks involved and the broader implications for national security and economic stability. 

Speaking during a civil-military cooperation campaign on Tuesday in Kongola, Zambezi police spokesperson Inspector Kisco Sitali stressed the dangers of entering protected zones, such as national parks, without authorisation. 

“Shooting or not shooting? The emphasis should be, ‘Let us inform our people not to go there,” he said. 

He added: “If they don’t go there, they will not encounter the issues we are trying to interrogate here. So, the emphasis is on the people not going into those areas. I know that, as a military officer and police officers, there is no law both in Namibia and in Botswana that tells us to kill people”. 

Sitalin said armed officials only resort to using their weapons in life-threatening situations. 

“When your life is threatened, and the life of the person next to you is threatened, that’s why we are issued with the firearms – to protect ourselves and colleagues,” he went at length to state. 

“If you are found in the park, and you are lucky you are still alive, and the officials order you to surrender, do it fast. Don’t try to turn your firearm towards the officer… It’s no longer an arrest. It will be regarded as a war or contact. It’s a crossfire,” Sitali warned. 

The officer highlighted the growing problem of illicit trade and drug trafficking in the Zambezi region. 

He noted that illegal border crossings are enabling the flow of counterfeit goods and narcotics through Namibia. 

“With the drugs, there are no productions in the region, but we’ve seen many incidents where we arrested people, and the drugs are only in transit. Although a minimum is used here, most of it is destined for other parts of the country,” he stated. 

Lieutenant Colonel Justin Mujiwa of the NDF stressed the broader objective of the campaign. 

“The aim of the campaign is to sensitise the communities living along the common borders on topics that were identified as affecting them,” he said. 

Mujiwa was speaking at the same meeting. 

He oversees security in Kavango East and West. He noted the importance of public understanding and cooperation. 

“We shouldn’t look at whether they will do that thereafter from here or tomorrow. But we should understand the aim of the campaign – very important,” Mujiwa stated. 

The ongoing campaign seeks to curb illegal activity while promoting lawful conduct and cooperation between border communities and enforcement authorities. 

-anakale@nepc.com.na