Africa-Press – Namibia.
KATIMA MULILO – In November last year, former home affairs and immigration minister Albert Kawana inaugurated new facilities, which also include staff accommodation at Kasika. However, six months down the line, the doors to the facilities remain closed.
Community members at Kasika say this hampers their movement, as only those with passports can get their stamps at the police station, while those with identity cards must travel to Impalila to get stamps for them to proceed to Kasane in Botswana, which they describe as an expense that hinders and affects their lives on a daily basis.
Albert Mashiko, a resident of Kasika, said due to current floods, commuting from Kasika to Katima Mulilo for essentials is a nightmare, leaving residents commuting to Kasane in Botswana to buy necessities.
“Our immigration office should have been opened instead of commuting to Impalila, as one must pay N$50 for transport and another N$50 to come back to Kasika from Impalila,” said Mashiko.
“We pay N$30 to travel to Kasane and another N$30 to travel back in a boat. The construction of the road will be very helpful, as it will ease our commute to Katima Mulilo daily,” added Mashiko.
The community of Impalila and Kasika in the Zambezi are faced with the daily struggle of crossing into neighbouring Botswana in order to buy essentials that are needed for their daily lives, as well as for reselling to make an income, they said.
Impalila residents are also unhappy with the situation at the new crossing point at Machenje, which was officially inaugurated in March.
“Our border crossing to Zambia at Impalila was opened; however, they only operate on Monday and Friday,” stated Jessica Mwanza, a resident of Impalila Island.
She further added that “the challenge we have is that even though they work on Monday and Friday, when you get your identity documents stamped and crossover into Zambia, you will discover that those on the Zambian side are not there.”
This means, “we have to pay for transport to the Kazungula border in Zambia to get our documents stamped. However, at times the officials at Kazungula will refuse to stamp our documents and will send us back to the Mamboba border to get our documents stamped there.”
Mwanza further stressed that it is a challenge for those travelling to Zambia because, at times, even those on the Namibian side are not there. “At times if you go there on a Friday, you will not find them unless you try calling them. They will then inform you to wait for them,” said Mwanza.
Impalila residents further stated that the issue of illegal crossing has not really been solved at all. “When the border post was opened, the government should have ensured that all those challenges were addressed before opening the border crossing so that people could cross legally,” said Mwanza.
Moreover, residents of Impalila Island have also complained about the non-existence of any supermarket on the island, which is making their daily life a financial struggle due to the cost of transport to and from the island.
Lisa Silumesi, a resident of Impalila Island, said they are in dire need of a supermarket, calling on the government to assist them in this regard.
“Since we buy our groceries either in Kasane, Botswana, or must travel all the way to Katima Mulilo, transport is our biggest challenge. If the government could perhaps bring us a supermarket on the island, at least it will be less of a financial burden for us,” she stated.
Questions sent to Home Affairs and Immigration public relations officer Aina Simon over a week ago were not answered.
For More News And Analysis About Namibia Follow Africa-Press
