Angry Hunter Whose Trip Was Spoiled

MY hunting trip to Namibia ended in a disaster.

The trip had been arranged months in advance and the basic plan would have been as follows: I was to arrive in Namibia late in April to visit my sister in Windhoek and then to proceed to hunt on a farm owned by Mr D. Davin in the Gobabis area (the proposed hunting package was arranged for N$10, 000, of which a deposit had been paid) and then I would have proceeded to Henties Bay for some fishing.When approaching the border post at Ariamsvlei, in my possession I had two firearms: a 270 KAL with 38 rounds of ammunition and a 375 MAG HOH with 40 rounds of ammunition.Paperwork with me included: an invitation to hunt on the farm as received from Mr Davin, an export-import licence (permit to import and export my firearms out of and back to South Africa), and a meat import permit for importing meat into South Africa.I now also have a permit from the Department of Agriculture to export meat from Namibia, but more about this later.I arrived at the Ariamsvlei Border Post at about 16h00 on Sunday, 22 April 2006, after successfully clearing the South African border.I cleared immigration, obtained a road permit and the report to the Namibian Police to obtain clearance for the temporary import of my rifles into Namibia.There, I was advised by the officer on duty that under no circumstances will I be allowed to temporarily import my firearms as the hunting season only opens on May 15 2006.I had just driven 1 100 km from George for this hunting trip and it was difficult for me to accept this.I requested his supervisor’s home telephone number and spoke to the Inspector Dry at this home a few hours later.I was told by him (and I quote): “The rules are that no firearms are allowed into Namibia outside of the hunting season.This is the law of Namibia.”And that there is nothing he could do about it.With no other choice, I left Ariamsvlei without my firearms and ammunition, as they were stored by the Namibian Police at the border.Upon my arrival I made some inquiries and was told by the Police in Windhoek that they have never heard of such a rule and that rifles for hunting purposes are being permitted through the airport customs on a daily basis.A person at Nature Conservation told me the same story.Over and above all the expenses I have had because someone did not know the regulations, I now have the additional expenses of having to drive from Gruenau to Ariamsvlei and back, approximately 400 km @ R500 for petrol, only to retrieve my property and to be able to import my rifles back to South Africa in terms of the South African permit.I requested Inspector Dry to see if he could not arrange to have these rifles transported from Ariamsvlei to Keetmanshoop.He said he would try, but he could not promise anything.These are expensive rifles and if transported, it has to be done properly, not on the back of a bakkie, for example.Is there a courier service in southern Namibia? As the situation is now – I have all the permits and permission, but no biltong and no rifles and a heap of expenses, because someone did know the rules.A total waste of time and a great deal of money.D J D Smith GeorgeDavin in the Gobabis area (the proposed hunting package was arranged for N$10, 000, of which a deposit had been paid) and then I would have proceeded to Henties Bay for some fishing.When approaching the border post at Ariamsvlei, in my possession I had two firearms: a 270 KAL with 38 rounds of ammunition and a 375 MAG HOH with 40 rounds of ammunition.Paperwork with me included: an invitation to hunt on the farm as received from Mr Davin, an export-import licence (permit to import and export my firearms out of and back to South Africa), and a meat import permit for importing meat into South Africa.I now also have a permit from the Department of Agriculture to export meat from Namibia, but more about this later.I arrived at the Ariamsvlei Border Post at about 16h00 on Sunday, 22 April 2006, after successfully clearing the South African border.I cleared immigration, obtained a road permit and the report to the Namibian Police to obtain clearance for the temporary import of my rifles into Namibia.There, I was advised by the officer on duty that under no circumstances will I be allowed to temporarily import my firearms as the hunting season only opens on May 15 2006.I had just driven 1 100 km from George for this hunting trip and it was difficult for me to accept this.I requested his supervisor’s home telephone number and spoke to the Inspector Dry at this home a few hours later.I was told by him (and I quote): “The rules are that no firearms are allowed into Namibia outside of the hunting season.This is the law of Namibia.”And that there is nothing he could do about it.With no other choice, I left Ariamsvlei without my firearms and ammunition, as they were stored by the Namibian Police at the border.Upon my arrival I made some inquiries and was told by the Police in Windhoek that they have never heard of such a rule and that rifles for hunting purposes are being permitted through the airport customs on a daily basis.A person at Nature Conservation told me the same story.Over and above all the expenses I have had because someone did not know the regulations, I now have the additional expenses of having to drive from Gruenau to Ariamsvlei and back, approximately 400 km @ R500 for petrol, only to retrieve my property and to be able to import my rifles back to South Africa in terms of the South African permit.I requested Inspector Dry to see if he could not arrange to have these rifles transported from Ariamsvlei to Keetmanshoop.He said he would try, but he could not promise anything.These are expensive rifles and if transported, it has to be done properly, not on the back of a bakkie, for example.Is there a courier service in southern Namibia? As the situation is now – I have all the permits and permission, but no biltong and no rifles and a heap of expenses, because someone did know the rules.A total waste of time and a great deal of money.D J D Smith George