Drone incidents on the rise
Bullish
Francoise Steynberg
Windhoek
Drones have once again been sighted at night over farms in the south. Farmers are increasingly concerned that this will lead to an increase in poaching and cattle theft – not to mention the invasion of their privacy.
According to farm owner Elize Cilliers, who is known for her Appaloosa horse breeding, drones have recently been flying over her farm Stokkiesdraai in Swartrand near Maltahöhe in the Hardap region at night without her permission and illegally. In the new year alone, Cilliers says she has already spotted drones over her farm on five nights, mostly around midnight. The horse breeders are concerned about the safety and well-being of their animals. “My daughter Lindie, who is also a farmer, now has to spend her nights outside guarding our game and horses because we don’t know why they are flying there and whether they want to poach game or steal horses.”
Adelheid von Wielligh from the Community Policing Crime Prevention Forum confirms that drones are once again very active in Swartrand. “The drones just don’t stop, and there is no feedback regarding the invasion of privacy on our farms.”
Slow response from the authoritiesCilliers said she reported the incidents last week to Manase Misika of the Namibian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) at the Ministry of Labor and Transport. Misika informed her that her supervisor would not be back in the office until today. Network Media Hub (NMH) inquired on Friday with NCAA spokesperson Nelson Ashipala, who forwarded the matter to his colleagues at RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems). Cilliers also said she is currently preparing a report to file the incident with the Namibian police this week.
Individuals or companies operating drones in Namibian airspace must obtain an operating license from the NCAA in accordance with national aviation regulations. This includes specific terms of use, approved areas of operation, and safety requirements. There are several companies that have been granted permission by the NCAA to conduct large-scale aerial and drone surveys in Namibia. “Unfortunately, there is currently no specific system in place to detect, track, and identify unauthorized drones operating in Namibian airspace,” Ashipala said.
Helmeringhausen still affected Back in July and August of last year, farmers from Helmeringhausen were concerned because drones were flying over their farms at night without their permission. NMH reported on the incidents at the time and asked the NCAA whether applications had been submitted for permission to fly drones over the area. Ashipala responded that the names of the applicants would have to be provided so that they could be searched for in the database. NMH provided the NCAA with the name of a Namibian mining consultant who had allegedly applied for a drone flight permit, as well as the name of a mining exploration company, so that they could be added to the database, but received no response despite repeated requests.
Malcolm Campbell, chairman of Konkiep Farmers Watch (KFW) and a farmer in the Helmeringhausen region, has now informed NMH that the drones continue to fly there. “It’s happening a little less frequently now, but they still show up. The area in which they appear has now expanded dramatically, and they are being spotted more frequently in Swartrand towards Gibeon, for example near Elize. They are also now appearing more frequently as far as Rosh Pinah and Goageb, as well as in the deeper Namib up to the park border,” he describes. He suspects that there is more than just private individuals behind the large drones with long battery life and wide range. “Such drones are not something that any ordinary consumer can afford and fly. It’s hard to believe that the government doesn’t know about this. When someone flies drones unhindered over such a large area for so long without being caught by law enforcement, it makes you wonder. Our government has known about the drones for ages through media reports.”
Report to the NCAA
To help the NCAA identify patterns, take the necessary follow-up action, and conduct investigations, all reports should include as much of the following information as possible: Date and time of the incident, exact location, type or appearance of the drone (size, color, noise, altitude), possible location of the operator or other persons controlling the drone.
Windhoek
Drones have once again been sighted at night over farms in the south. Farmers are increasingly concerned that this will lead to an increase in poaching and cattle theft – not to mention the invasion of their privacy.
According to farm owner Elize Cilliers, who is known for her Appaloosa horse breeding, drones have recently been flying over her farm Stokkiesdraai in Swartrand near Maltahöhe in the Hardap region at night without her permission and illegally. In the new year alone, Cilliers says she has already spotted drones over her farm on five nights, mostly around midnight. The horse breeders are concerned about the safety and well-being of their animals. “My daughter Lindie, who is also a farmer, now has to spend her nights outside guarding our game and horses because we don’t know why they are flying there and whether they want to poach game or steal horses.”
Adelheid von Wielligh from the Community Policing Crime Prevention Forum confirms that drones are once again very active in Swartrand. “The drones just don’t stop, and there is no feedback regarding the invasion of privacy on our farms.”
Slow response from the authoritiesCilliers said she reported the incidents last week to Manase Misika of the Namibian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) at the Ministry of Labor and Transport. Misika informed her that her supervisor would not be back in the office until today. Network Media Hub (NMH) inquired on Friday with NCAA spokesperson Nelson Ashipala, who forwarded the matter to his colleagues at RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems). Cilliers also said she is currently preparing a report to file the incident with the Namibian police this week.
Individuals or companies operating drones in Namibian airspace must obtain an operating license from the NCAA in accordance with national aviation regulations. This includes specific terms of use, approved areas of operation, and safety requirements. There are several companies that have been granted permission by the NCAA to conduct large-scale aerial and drone surveys in Namibia. “Unfortunately, there is currently no specific system in place to detect, track, and identify unauthorized drones operating in Namibian airspace,” Ashipala said.
Helmeringhausen still affected Back in July and August of last year, farmers from Helmeringhausen were concerned because drones were flying over their farms at night without their permission. NMH reported on the incidents at the time and asked the NCAA whether applications had been submitted for permission to fly drones over the area. Ashipala responded that the names of the applicants would have to be provided so that they could be searched for in the database. NMH provided the NCAA with the name of a Namibian mining consultant who had allegedly applied for a drone flight permit, as well as the name of a mining exploration company, so that they could be added to the database, but received no response despite repeated requests.
Malcolm Campbell, chairman of Konkiep Farmers Watch (KFW) and a farmer in the Helmeringhausen region, has now informed NMH that the drones continue to fly there. “It’s happening a little less frequently now, but they still show up. The area in which they appear has now expanded dramatically, and they are being spotted more frequently in Swartrand towards Gibeon, for example near Elize. They are also now appearing more frequently as far as Rosh Pinah and Goageb, as well as in the deeper Namib up to the park border,” he describes. He suspects that there is more than just private individuals behind the large drones with long battery life and wide range. “Such drones are not something that any ordinary consumer can afford and fly. It’s hard to believe that the government doesn’t know about this. When someone flies drones unhindered over such a large area for so long without being caught by law enforcement, it makes you wonder. Our government has known about the drones for ages through media reports.”
Report to the NCAA
To help the NCAA identify patterns, take the necessary follow-up action, and conduct investigations, all reports should include as much of the following information as possible: Date and time of the incident, exact location, type or appearance of the drone (size, color, noise, altitude), possible location of the operator or other persons controlling the drone.
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