Cross-border beggars
Many Angolan mothers, desperate to feed their children, cross into Oshikango daily to beg for money at retailers in the town.
The Helao Nafidi Town Council and Ohangwena police are aware of the high number of Angolan nationals who flock into Namibia on a daily basis to beg at Oshikango. They are driven there through desperation following the collapse of the Angolan economy.
Most of the beggars are women carrying their children on their backs and teenagers of school-going age. They gather at retailers and other shops with baskets and carbon boxes targeting shoppers, offering to carry their goods.
According to officials at the Oshikango border post, 'thousands' of Angolans cross the border into Namibia every morning and return back to Angola in the afternoon, for various reasons. Hundreds more cross the border illegally. Those who pass through the border obtain border passes that permit them to stay freely in Namibia.
When Namibian Sun visited Oshikango on Friday morning, beggars were spotted gathering at various grocery shops begging for money. They approach people as they leave the shops offering to carry their goods for money in return. If shoppers decline the offer, then the beggars ask them for money. Very few of the women or teenagers were willing to speak to Namibian Sun fearing the reporter was a police officer or custom official.
“We started coming to Oshikango to sell our goods from Angola, but later the market became totally saturated by fellow Angolan traders. No one bought from us and our foodstuffs especially, became spoiled. Hunger is very real my friend, so we had to resort to begging. We are family people and we have children to feed,” said one beggar, before she fled with her baby on her back.
Another said, “There is hunger and poverty in Angola. We are forced to come here in our struggle for survival. Our targets are fellow Angolans who come here to do massive shopping, but they don't have cars. We load their goods into boxes and baskets and assist them carrying their goods for them until they cross the border into Angola. Those with cars are just Namibians, they don't support us.”
All those who spoke to Namibian Sun refused to give their names or say where they are from, but they said they are from faraway places in southern Angola and every day they walk long distances to and from Oshikango. They are saying that survival remains a daily battle as Namibians do not make use of their services.
“Only few Angolan shoppers who make use of our services, Namibians are always shouting and harassing us. Some days you will go home with N$1, but there are days when you can make more than N$10. For you to survive in Angola you need a lot of money.”
Many of the women who help buyers of bulk groceries, carry heavy boxes, babies in tow, to the border for the Angolan shoppers. It is backbreaking work.
The spokesperson of Ohangwena police, Sergeant Kaume Itumba, confirmed the issue of the begging Angolans, but he said no criminal offence has been reported against them yet.
“We are aware of them and nothing we can do about them for now. Most of them, they come into the country legally. They get border passes from custom officials, apart from those who come in illegally through the fence,” Itumba said
However, workers at the Oshikango Pick n Pay in the Yetu Complex alleged that the Angolans make shopping difficult sometimes. When there are many Angolans shopping, they block the entrance of the shop struggling to reach the potential clients first.
Many of the shoppers there also felt uncomfortable with being harassed and some expressed concern that while the Angolan beggers may be innocent, they could provide a 'hiding place' for petty criminals.
“What if I am thinking this is a harmless, poor and hungry Angolan and in fact, it is a petty criminal who will rob me the moment I get to my car? This is not a good situation at all,” the shopper said.
Eliaser Nghipangelwa, the mayor for Helao Nafidi under which Oshikango township falls, said many people are begging in Oshikango and Angolans are there in large numbers. They have nothing to do with them as the law does not prohibit them from being there.
“People are begging at Oshikango and Angolans are there in high numbers. There is nothing we can do and they are fine where they choose to beg. There is no law restricting people from begging, but we are not promoting it,” Nghipangelwa said.
ILENI NANDJATO
Most of the beggars are women carrying their children on their backs and teenagers of school-going age. They gather at retailers and other shops with baskets and carbon boxes targeting shoppers, offering to carry their goods.
According to officials at the Oshikango border post, 'thousands' of Angolans cross the border into Namibia every morning and return back to Angola in the afternoon, for various reasons. Hundreds more cross the border illegally. Those who pass through the border obtain border passes that permit them to stay freely in Namibia.
When Namibian Sun visited Oshikango on Friday morning, beggars were spotted gathering at various grocery shops begging for money. They approach people as they leave the shops offering to carry their goods for money in return. If shoppers decline the offer, then the beggars ask them for money. Very few of the women or teenagers were willing to speak to Namibian Sun fearing the reporter was a police officer or custom official.
“We started coming to Oshikango to sell our goods from Angola, but later the market became totally saturated by fellow Angolan traders. No one bought from us and our foodstuffs especially, became spoiled. Hunger is very real my friend, so we had to resort to begging. We are family people and we have children to feed,” said one beggar, before she fled with her baby on her back.
Another said, “There is hunger and poverty in Angola. We are forced to come here in our struggle for survival. Our targets are fellow Angolans who come here to do massive shopping, but they don't have cars. We load their goods into boxes and baskets and assist them carrying their goods for them until they cross the border into Angola. Those with cars are just Namibians, they don't support us.”
All those who spoke to Namibian Sun refused to give their names or say where they are from, but they said they are from faraway places in southern Angola and every day they walk long distances to and from Oshikango. They are saying that survival remains a daily battle as Namibians do not make use of their services.
“Only few Angolan shoppers who make use of our services, Namibians are always shouting and harassing us. Some days you will go home with N$1, but there are days when you can make more than N$10. For you to survive in Angola you need a lot of money.”
Many of the women who help buyers of bulk groceries, carry heavy boxes, babies in tow, to the border for the Angolan shoppers. It is backbreaking work.
The spokesperson of Ohangwena police, Sergeant Kaume Itumba, confirmed the issue of the begging Angolans, but he said no criminal offence has been reported against them yet.
“We are aware of them and nothing we can do about them for now. Most of them, they come into the country legally. They get border passes from custom officials, apart from those who come in illegally through the fence,” Itumba said
However, workers at the Oshikango Pick n Pay in the Yetu Complex alleged that the Angolans make shopping difficult sometimes. When there are many Angolans shopping, they block the entrance of the shop struggling to reach the potential clients first.
Many of the shoppers there also felt uncomfortable with being harassed and some expressed concern that while the Angolan beggers may be innocent, they could provide a 'hiding place' for petty criminals.
“What if I am thinking this is a harmless, poor and hungry Angolan and in fact, it is a petty criminal who will rob me the moment I get to my car? This is not a good situation at all,” the shopper said.
Eliaser Nghipangelwa, the mayor for Helao Nafidi under which Oshikango township falls, said many people are begging in Oshikango and Angolans are there in large numbers. They have nothing to do with them as the law does not prohibit them from being there.
“People are begging at Oshikango and Angolans are there in high numbers. There is nothing we can do and they are fine where they choose to beg. There is no law restricting people from begging, but we are not promoting it,” Nghipangelwa said.
ILENI NANDJATO
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