Oshana police commander, Commissioner Andreas Shilelo, has issued a warning to long-distance bus operators and drivers against transporting undocumented Angolan children and foreign nationals to Windhoek and other parts of Namibia. The warning was given during a meeting with bus owners and drivers at Oshakati on Saturday. Shilelo emphasized that transporting these children could amount to human trafficking under Namibia's immigration laws.
Shilelo stated that the police had received information about Angolan children, believed to be from the Gambue and Mwila communities in southern Angola, being transported to Windhoek at night. He mentioned that some of these children, aged between seven and 15 years, were loaded onto buses without national documents. The police commander stressed that the government wants to take action against those found transporting these children, as it is getting worse.
According to Shilelo, the children are often transported from the northern regions to urban areas like Windhoek, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, and Lüderitz. He noted that the children rarely leave the buses during the journey, only relieving themselves when they arrive in Windhoek. Shilelo also warned operators against transporting all undocumented nationals, citing potential ill intentions and the risk of implicating drivers.
However, bus owner Dave ya Hashili disputed some of Shilelo's claims, stating that the Angolan children, commonly known as 'penge ondola,' board buses during the day. Ya Hashili claimed that some of the children refuse to leave the buses when instructed to do so and that they sometimes hide under bus seats. He also questioned Shilelo's statement that the police do not know where the children sleep in Windhoek, mentioning that they often sleep along Independence Avenue, at China Town, and Katutura Shoprite.
Ya Hashili called on the government to strengthen border controls and adequately capacitate police roadblocks. He suggested that the government should take responsibility for the children and not solely blame bus operators. Bus owners and drivers at the meeting stated that the children enter Namibia through the Ohangwena region and the Omahenene border post.
The Namibia Bus and Taxi Association (Nabta) secretary general, Pendapala Nakathingo, said the association supports the police's efforts to address the movement of Angolan children but rejects the suggestion that bus and taxi operators should face human trafficking charges for transporting them. Nakathingo emphasized that it is the prime responsibility of law enforcement, regional and town councils to address the issue.
Nakathingo argued that bus and taxi operators should not be held responsible for transporting the children, as they are loaded at various towns and not solely by buses and taxis. The association's stance is that the government or law enforcement cannot subject buses and taxi drivers to committing an offence while leaving those responsible unpunished.
Key points
- The Namibian police have warned bus operators against transporting undocumented Angolan children, citing human trafficking concerns.
- Bus owners and drivers claim that the children enter Namibia through the Ohangwena region and the Omahenene border post.
- The Namibia Bus and Taxi Association rejects the suggestion that bus and taxi operators should face human trafficking charges for transporting the children.
