Truckers in passport drama

SOUTH Africa’s tightening of its border controls in anticipation of the soccer World Cup on Wednesday resulted in tempers flaring at the Ministry of Home Affairs’ passport-issuing offices in Windhoek.

A small group of around ten people – representatives of various private transport companies – refused to leave the premises until around 19h30, insisting on being helped.By the time The Namibian arrived on the scene, Police officers and members of the Special Field Force had been called to the scene to try and get the group to disband and to have the building locked.All ministry staff had left by then.According to the group, they’d all been waiting for the issuing of their permanent passports since 07h30 that morning, and were promised by deputy minister Elia Kayiamo himself that the day would not pass without that happening.’I’m sitting with perishable goods. And since I can’t drive out tonight, we’re losing business. The only thing the client will say is we breached contract,’ said one of the group members, JJ Klukowski.Others said they either had drivers standing at the SA border, denied entry with recently approved emergency documents, or were awaiting their permanent passports in order to drive out that night.’We just got these emergency passports last month – on May 7 and May 12,’ Klukowski said.’Why would they issue papers they know are not acceptable?’ he wanted to know.They alleged that, despite notices on the walls that everyone will be helped on a first-come first-serve basis, with no favour to anyone coming with either a motivational letter or an agent, the reverse was true.The Windhoek Police Station Commander, Chief Inspector Robert Sanjahi, managed to calm the crowd by listening to their complaints and promising to follow up the issue – resulting in the building being locked at around 19h30.By yesterday morning, all the members of the group contacted said they had received their documents, albeit along with a day’s lost business.Commenting on the situation, the acting secretary to the director in the ministry, Lydia Tjazerua, said the refusal to accept emergency passports came from South Africa.The Namibian authorities had not received any official information in this regard, she said, but came to now of it last week when a number of Namibians were turned back at the border.’I understand it has to do with increased security measures they’ve put in place leading up to the World Cup,’ she said.’With emergency documents, you get photos pasted onto the document. Now it seems people cut out those pictures and inserted new ones, so it’s to prevent that,’ she said.When contacted yesterday, Home Affairs Deputy Minister Elia Kayiamo confirmed addressing the group.’I just went there to make sure those who had an urgent need were receiving service. We’re helping them, but since the announcement by South Africa last week, there’s just been such a huge influx in people experiencing trouble,’ he said.’We have all their details, and even up to this morning, we’ve been assisting them. Maybe those guys were just the last in line on the day,’ Kayiamo said.