THE government faces a major problem of smuggling of fuel from Angola through the porous border in northern Namibia, which has been going on for some time and poses serious economic and security concerns.
This was said by Carlo McLeod, the deputy director for regulation compliance in the Ministry of Mines and Energy when he addressed a two-day stakeholders meeting in Windhoek last Thursday, which was attended by parliamentarians and other top government officials.
McLeod said the government dispatched a team from 10 to 16 July 2022 to investigate the problem in the affected areas.
In recent years, many service station operators have complained of the competition they get from the cheap fuel from Angola which is threatening the survival of their businesses.
They complain that the bulk of their customers – taxi operators – have turned to the smuggled fuel, leaving the service stations with overheads like salaries to pay.
Taxi drivers have also complained that the high cost of fuel sold in the country is threatening the viability of their businesses and leaving them with no option but to buy the smuggled cheaper fuel.
McLeod said the investigation team found many issues that contribute to the roaring fuel smuggling business in the north.
He said there are no delineated border fences, which makes it difficult for law enforcement agents to maintain effective control of the situation.
“The traditional homesteads along the borderline in both countries are used as storage facilities for smuggled fuel, with taxis the primary consumers of smuggled fuel. There are also private motorists who drive to Angola for the purpose of filling their vehicles only to come and empty them for resale in Namibia,” he said, adding there was a need to strike a delicate balance.
The deputy director said because of budgetary constraints, manpower and transport are in short supply and police officers are forced to use their private vehicles to conduct border patrols.
“Another factor is that the majority of border guards are getting old and they are often pitted against youthful smugglers who often outrun them,” he said, adding that there have been concerns over life-threatening as well as economic and security situations.
“Police officers are sometimes attacked by fuel smugglers when they try to apprehend them, resulting in injuries, damage to property and even the use of firearms to control the situation,” he added.
McLeod said the investigation team noted that there was very little effort by Angolan police officers to help the Namibian police in combating fuel smuggling, with suspicions high that some corrupt law enforcement agents from both countries are involved in the smuggling of fuel.
He said the borderline has not been de-bushed and this provides cover for smugglers to hide from police officers, especially at night.
According to McLeod, fuel smuggling is more critical in Ohangwena than in other northern regions due to the proximity of service stations at Santa Clara in Angola “where the smuggled fuel is sourced.
“While Onamhinda in Oshikango is partially fenced, this is ineffective because criminals continue to cut it,” the official said.
He also complained that the fines and custodial sentences meted out to convicted smugglers are not deterrent enough for people to stop the crime and called for stiffer sentences.
RECOMMENDATIONS
He said the investigation team had recommended that the government budgets funds specifically for infrastructure, equipment and recruitment of young border guards and consider deploying police officers from other regions to supplement the existing manpower capacity along the border in the affected areas.
McLeod called for continued public awareness campaigns on impacts of fuel smuggling through media platforms.
“The state of our borders makes it difficult to completely eradicate the problem, but as a government we must make efforts to find a solution. Stakeholders must work together to determine the best ways to address the issue,” he said, adding that the Namibian oil industry, the Road Fund Administration, the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund and MTC must also be involved.
McLeod urged political leaders to engage their Angolan counterparts to find a long-term solution to the problem.
Other presenters at the meeting were John Titus who spoke on green hydrogen, diamond commissioner Miina Auene-Guhutu and mining commissioner Erusmus Shivolo who said he will tackle the problem of sand excavation.
– Email: matthew@namibian.com.na
