Staff Reporter
SMUGGLERS and police officers continue to play cat-and-mouse at Oshikango in the border town of Helao Nafidi. The traders of illicit goods, illegally imported from Angola, such as fuel, “Yes” cigarettes, and “Best” whiskey, roam the streets but do run away at the appearance of a police patrol, only to return immediately after the police patrol had moved on.
However, the law enforcement officers appear to be much more serious in their action against fuel smugglers but somewhat lenient when it comes to other smugglers. “We keep arresting them and confiscating the fuel, but the illegal importation continues unabated,” said Andrew Nghiyolwa, community affairs officer of the police in the Ohangwena Region.
The rampant smuggling of the relatively cheaper Angolan fuel is described as “economic sabotage,” the biggest victims of which are the MVA Fund and the government that loses out on road user charges. The illegal activities also endanger employment in the energy industry as more and more vehicle owners avoid the filling stations, preferring the black market. Fuel at a filling station costs about N$20 per litre, compared to only N$16 per litre for the illegally imported fuel.
On Thursday, an Informanté team spent some time at a filling station closest to the border, at Omafo. Only three vehicles — two with Windhoek number plates and one with Gobabis number plate — filled up in 35 minutes. The second filling station at Omafo went out of business last year due to a lack of customers.
The Informanté team also spent some time at the site of the old open market of Oshikango, well known as ‘Okatwitwi’. Here, vehicle owners steam in to fill up their tanks, and the smugglers openly compete for customers. An occasional police patrol causes a commotion as smugglers flee, leaving behind their containers that are promptly confiscated. But local residents suspect that some police officers might be abusing their position for personal gain. “Occasionally, a lone police officer arrives here on foot, confiscates fuel, and disappears. There is no guarantee that such fuel goes to the police station,” said a female vegetable vendor.
On the other side of the town, a lone police officer commonly known as ‘Mahomato’ tries to deal, decisively, with whiskey and cigarette smugglers along the main street. But they see him approaching and run away but return to the same spot immediately thereafter. Being alone, ‘Mahomato’ can do nothing more than scare the smugglers. He is said to be fearless and hardworking and got his nickname based on how he dresses as a police officer. He is always armed and carrying on his body all the necessary police equipment. And he appears to be proud of his “celebrity status”.
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