Harassment at Passport Control

ON Monday, 15 January 2007, Katja D.(18 years old) checked in for flight SW 285 to Frankfurt.

When passing through passport control, she was held up as the officer at the counter looked at her and asked whether she was really born in Rundu as written in her passport. She confirmed whereupon the officer asked whether she also grew up in Rundu and Katja confirmed again.The next question was whether Katja could speak Afrikaans and she said that she could understand everything and the officers could put their questions in Afrikaans but Katja would prefer to answer in English as she did not take Afrikaans as a subject at school (she took German, English and French as language subjects).Then the officer took her passport and let her stand aside.When Katja asked whether there was a problem, the officer shouted at her that she was lying as she said she could speak Afrikaans while in fact she could not.After ignoring Katja for quite some time, just letting her stand at the side, the officer disappeared with her passport.In the meantime all the passengers for flight SW 285 to Frankfurt had passed through passport control and started boarding the aircraft with Katja was still standing at the counter, not knowing what the problem was.The officer was still shouting at her that she was lying to her.Katja was in tears and phoned her mother, who was on her way back to Windhoek already.Mrs D.turned around and drove back to the airport to speak to the two ladies at the passport control counter.In the meantime Katja was allowed to board the aircraft, as she was the last passenger.The passport control officers had a copy of Katja’s passport in front of her, looked at Mrs D.and very sceptically asked her where her daughter was born.She said that she was born in Rundu.After more questions like what they were doing in Rundu and whether the mother was a Namibian citizen (she even had to show her ID) they said: “You can be lucky that we let your daughter board the aircraft because she was lying to us.”Just because she was not 100% fluent in Afrikaans? What does all that have to do with being in possession of a valid passport and wanting to travel abroad? Dietlind D.Via e-mailShe confirmed whereupon the officer asked whether she also grew up in Rundu and Katja confirmed again.The next question was whether Katja could speak Afrikaans and she said that she could understand everything and the officers could put their questions in Afrikaans but Katja would prefer to answer in English as she did not take Afrikaans as a subject at school (she took German, English and French as language subjects).Then the officer took her passport and let her stand aside.When Katja asked whether there was a problem, the officer shouted at her that she was lying as she said she could speak Afrikaans while in fact she could not.After ignoring Katja for quite some time, just letting her stand at the side, the officer disappeared with her passport.In the meantime all the passengers for flight SW 285 to Frankfurt had passed through passport control and started boarding the aircraft with Katja was still standing at the counter, not knowing what the problem was.The officer was still shouting at her that she was lying to her.Katja was in tears and phoned her mother, who was on her way back to Windhoek already.Mrs D.turned around and drove back to the airport to speak to the two ladies at the passport control counter.In the meantime Katja was allowed to board the aircraft, as she was the last passenger.The passport control officers had a copy of Katja’s passport in front of her, looked at Mrs D.and very sceptically asked her where her daughter was born.She said that she was born in Rundu.After more questions like what they were doing in Rundu and whether the mother was a Namibian citizen (she even had to show her ID) they said: “You can be lucky that we let your daughter board the aircraft because she was lying to us.”Just because she was not 100% fluent in Afrikaans? What does all that have to do with being in possession of a valid passport and wanting to travel abroad? Dietlind D.Via e-mail