Tension persists between Namibians, BDF
Namibians living along the Chobe River continue to fear for their lives amid alleged threats by Botswana Defense Force (BDF) soldiers patrolling the area.
One such resident is John Mulenamaswi, the senior captain of the luxurious Zambezi Queen cruise boat that sails the Chobe and Zambezi rivers.
He recounted how one of his skippers, Francis Sikumbwa, was allegedly threatened with a gun by BDF soldiers in the presence of two tourists.
The incident allegedly happened on the morning of 13 October at an area known as Luguva, some 20 kilometres from Impalila Island.
According to Mulenamaswi, they are unable to carry out their work as they continue to live in constant fear of the soldiers.
"The constant threats by the soldiers are not good for our business. Imagine being threatened with a gun and being told that the next time they find you on the Botswana side of the river, they will not hesitate to shoot us. We are supposed to be loving and caring neighbouring countries, but Botswana has no regard for our lives," he said.
Bad for business
He explained that they sometimes find themselves closer to the Botswana side of the river simply because they have to navigate to avoid rocks and sandbanks.
Mulenamaswi added that boats from Botswana are also spotted on Namibian soil when the crew need to relieve themselves, but nothing is done to them.
“This is really bad for business and we need this issue to be addressed by our leaders,” he said.
When asked whether Namibian law enforcement agencies assist Namibians living along the Chobe River as far as threats are concerned, Mulenamaswi said the police and soldiers do patrol the area, but not at the level they should be operating.
“They need to do more to protect our lives,” he said.
Boycott
A similar incident took place on 11 November at Sorendela.
It prompted the national executive chairperson of the Namibian Lives Matter movement, Sinvula Mudabeti, to pen letters to several Namibian leaders, demanding the issue of border conflict between Namibia and Botswana be addressed.
In his letters, he explained how Namibians living along the river continue to be harassed by the BDF, and called for action to be taken to address the issue.
He added that if the issue is not addressed, they will mobilise the masses to boycott the signing of agreements between the two governments.
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One such resident is John Mulenamaswi, the senior captain of the luxurious Zambezi Queen cruise boat that sails the Chobe and Zambezi rivers.
He recounted how one of his skippers, Francis Sikumbwa, was allegedly threatened with a gun by BDF soldiers in the presence of two tourists.
The incident allegedly happened on the morning of 13 October at an area known as Luguva, some 20 kilometres from Impalila Island.
According to Mulenamaswi, they are unable to carry out their work as they continue to live in constant fear of the soldiers.
"The constant threats by the soldiers are not good for our business. Imagine being threatened with a gun and being told that the next time they find you on the Botswana side of the river, they will not hesitate to shoot us. We are supposed to be loving and caring neighbouring countries, but Botswana has no regard for our lives," he said.
Bad for business
He explained that they sometimes find themselves closer to the Botswana side of the river simply because they have to navigate to avoid rocks and sandbanks.
Mulenamaswi added that boats from Botswana are also spotted on Namibian soil when the crew need to relieve themselves, but nothing is done to them.
“This is really bad for business and we need this issue to be addressed by our leaders,” he said.
When asked whether Namibian law enforcement agencies assist Namibians living along the Chobe River as far as threats are concerned, Mulenamaswi said the police and soldiers do patrol the area, but not at the level they should be operating.
“They need to do more to protect our lives,” he said.
Boycott
A similar incident took place on 11 November at Sorendela.
It prompted the national executive chairperson of the Namibian Lives Matter movement, Sinvula Mudabeti, to pen letters to several Namibian leaders, demanding the issue of border conflict between Namibia and Botswana be addressed.
In his letters, he explained how Namibians living along the river continue to be harassed by the BDF, and called for action to be taken to address the issue.
He added that if the issue is not addressed, they will mobilise the masses to boycott the signing of agreements between the two governments.
[email protected]
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