The Real Money Heist Namibia

The jokes really do write themselves, hey.

So a few days ago a security guard was caught after fleeing with N$300 000 he was supposed to be refilling an ATM with.

Honestly, based on what I’ve been reading so far, his demise was his own fault, and he didn’t plan ahead. I mean, to be found drunk in a community that knows and recognises you and will snitch on you is just beyond stupid.

I really wish he had been smarter with his choices and got away with the cash. I wish he had made it across the border to somewhere off the grid where he could live a lavish life and maybe even find a way to triple what he stole.

But alas, he was caught, along with two co-conspirators, and the whole epic story came to an end.

It’s sad, but I’d definitely like to follow this case as it continues undoubtedly through the years.

The funniest thing about this whole situation was that the police were asking the public for assistance in locating this man, and many people said they would absolutely not be doing that.

The reasons were many, but what stood out most is that lots of them felt he deserved to get away with the money.

I mean, think about it.

Why would I, as an average citizen, help the police catch a man who has stolen money, when that is the culture that has been cultivated in our country?

The amounts of money constantly being stolen and looted by office-bearers is absolutely appalling, and if you ask me, that guard was just participating in the national sport.

We are constantly bombarded with stories of state resources being squandered without a care in the world, and we rarely see any justice being served.

All that public office bearers ever do is deny any wrongdoing, deflect the conversation, gaslight us immensely and become defensive.

They won’t even acknowledge major cases currently in court. It’s almost as if no one wants to open their mouths, lest their own skeletons be revealed.

I mean, I read an article that makes reference to dubious deals with our fish and oceans that were already happening in the 1990s, so it’s clear this has truly permeated our country at all levels, and long before we even knew to pay attention to it.

So then why can’t we also eat?

Everyone started calling the drama ‘Money Heist Namibia’ on social media when the news of the missing guard first broke.

There was palpable excitement in the air, and everyone was honestly rooting for him to the point where they would openly respond to the police’s social media posts that they would in no way be helping, and that they in fact hoped the culprit made it out of the country alright.

Does this really surprise anyone? I mean, yeah, stealing is absolutely terrible, and as a nation we should really stand up against it. But who were we supposed to learn that from, when it has become a part of who we are?

Stealing has become so normalised. Can you really blame us if it is hard to side with the police?

On top of that, the hourly rate of a guard is so low, making that amount on his own and honestly may have seemed like a nearly impossible dream.

See, sometimes it feels like the only way we can ever have a normal life where we can afford to travel, live comfortably, eat well, have medical aid, is if we steal.

The idea of working hard to “make it” is fading. Even the super-wealthy people who were revered in my childhood are now being looked at with a more sceptical eye, and there’s a new saying that goes “stop competing financially with people who are stealing”.

I found myself thinking that maybe this whole concept of ‘Namibia’ is the real ‘Money Heist’, and not this small-time security guard who tried his luck.

We need to do better as a nation and shun high-ranking people accused of corruption and remove them from office and parliament.

We need to build a culture of honesty and integrity from the top, so that it trickles down to the bottom, and we also need to close the gap between the rich and the poor, so that we don’t have to risk our lives just to enjoy what others are enjoying.

– Anne Hambuda is a poet, writer and social commentator from Windhoek. Follow her online for more.

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