Where does confiscated 'Ngungula' fuel go?

Oshana police regional commander, Commissioner Naftal Sakaria, has refuted allegations that law enforcement officers utilise fuel seized from Angola to refuel police vehicles.

Fuel is illegally smuggled into Namibia from operators on the so-called black market and desperate Namibian motorists buy it cheaply, amid high fuel costs in the country.

The smuggled Angolan fuel robs the Namibian government of income as no levies and taxes are paid from such illegal activities.

Namibians have demanded that government strike an oil trade deal with that country, hoping this would lead to cheaper fuel at retail level.

Government is, however, adamant that importing fuel from Angola would cost the Namibian government more than it currently spends on fuel imports from other sources. This is because fuel from Angola would have to be refined again to be brought to the same standard as the fuel used here.

The specifications of fuel used in Namibia is stricter in terms of impurities such as sulphur and lead content, government said.

‘We have fuel’

There are allegations that Namibian police in the northern parts of the country use confiscated fuel to fill up their own vehicles, a claim Sakaria vehemently denied.

“We have fuel, there is no justification for a law enforcement officer to use impounded fuel in a police vehicle, and there are numerous filling stations in the region with enough government fuel.”

According to him, fuel is seized, held for prosecution and then transferred to a disposal tank in the Ohangwena Region if the case is successful.

“There is a tank where this fuel is disposed of, and the tank is run by a company that is responsible for disposing it,” he said.

However, Sakaria was unable to specify the number of individuals arrested in connection with fuel smuggling and said while the situation is still challenging, there has been improvement in the region as a result of the arrests of people attempting to sell illegal fuel.

“We do not go around chasing someone with a five-litre container; we hit the supplier. For instance, the whole of December I did not receive a report of anyone arrested in connection with fuel smuggling. The message should be clear by now,” he said.

Health hazard

While admitting that transporting fuel in the back of police cars is a health risk, Sakaria said there are no other options available.

“It is a health hazard, but I have to be realistic. I cannot ask for a designed vehicle to transport this fuel to the Ohangwena Region,” he said.

Ohangwena police regional commander Elizabeth Sibolile confirmed that the confiscated fuel is picked up by a company that specialises in petroleum goods, which then transports it to Walvis Bay.

Last year, former Namibian Police chief Sebastian Ndeitunga condemned law enforcement officers who were allegedly filling their personal vehicles with fuel smuggled from Angola and confiscated from illegal vendors.