IMPALILA – The Minister of Defence Penda Ya Ndakolo last Friday officially opened the Impalila Naval Base which he believes will play a pivotal role in providing security and to bolster the fight against crime in the far-eastern island bordering Zambia and Botswana.
He said the Navy Coastal-land, Riverine and Meteorological survey conducted in 2011 identified security gaps along the borders of the Zambezi and Chobe rivers and it was recommended that a riverine detachment be deployed at Impalila Island to safeguard Namibia’s marine domain.
“The mission of the NDF members deployed here on Impalila Island is to provide security by patrolling the Namibia-Botswana and Namibia-Zambia borders in order to provide a variety of services to the community, including law enforcement, boat safety inspections, flood evacuations, medical assistance and water safety education,” said Ya Ndakolo. He added that “the major security challenges and concerns around Impalila Island include illegal activities such as illegal border crossings, unregulated fishing, poaching, theft and drug smuggling.” Ya Ndakolo said it is for this reason that the Namibian Navy was authorised to establish a Naval District, covering the Zambezi, Chobe and Kavango rivers.
Ya Ndakolo also noted that the base has been well received by neighbouring countries and is seen as a unit that is contributing to mutual security and safety “for our people in this region”.
Impalila Island is home to about 2 000 inhabitants and has very fertile soil.