The Independent Patriots for Change has accused the government of failing to protect Namibians in South Africa after a Namibian passenger bus was allegedly hijacked in Johannesburg on 9 June.
This has left passengers stranded and without assistance.
IPC shadow minister of international relations and trade Rodney Cloete in a statement released on Sunday says armed men hijacked a Namibian-registered bus operated by Mbishi Transport Project CC at a fourway stop in Johannesburg last week.
The driver was reportedly held for about five hours before being released unharmed, while the bus remains missing.
Cloete says passengers were left stranded in a foreign country, with some forced to pay for accommodation themselves and others unable to return home.
One passenger reportedly lost a passport during the incident, complicating travel arrangements.
“The IPC questioned the response of Namibia’s High Commission in Pretoria, claiming the bus operator contacted the mission on the day of the hijacking but had not received meaningful assistance days later” Cloete says.
The party says the incident comes amid growing fears among Namibian cross-border traders who have reportedly reduced travel to South Africa due to concerns over xenophobic attacks.
Cloete says the government cannot promote regional trade and the African Continental Free Trade Area while failing to protect citizens who conduct business across borders.
The IPC is demanding that the Ministry of International Relations and Trade explain what assistance was provided to the stranded passengers, disclose contingency plans for Namibians facing emergencies in South Africa, and establish a 24-hour emergency consular hotline.
The party also calls for concrete measures to protect Namibian traders and transport operators working across regional borders.
