Old police bakkie shines anew

Cindy Van Wyk
ERWIN LEUSCHNER



SWAKOPMUND

It looks like a brand-new police car, but the bakkie actually has more than 200 000 kilometers on the clock. This was made possible thanks to several private companies from Swakopmund, who completely refurbished the police car used every day for crime prevention.

The old bakkie, now shining in new splendor, was officially handed over to the Namibian police at the coastal town on Tuesday and is once again back on the streets.

“The idea came from one of our employees who said we should do something for our community,” Mark Weiss from Weiss Auto Body Repairs said.

Since the bakkie has been standing outside at the Swakopmund police station for a few years, it was badly affected by rust due to the climatic conditions at the coast. Large holes had already formed on the body - the car was anything but picturesque.

“We asked other companies and they immediately joined the project. With the help from Canopy Centre, Greg’s Motor Spares, Namib Upholstery, Hemco Paints and Steckel’s Toyota, we completely transformed the car,” Weiss said. The total cost of the refurbishment, which took three months to complete, was calculated at just under N$40 000.

Delighted

Upon receiving the car, Erongo regional police commander, Commissioner Andreas Nelumbo, was delighted with the initiative. “You did a great service for the community of Swakopmund, because now the police can serve the community better with this car,” he said.

“We as police officers must serve the community to the best of our ability, because the community also supports us - as we see here.”

He called on all law enforcement officers to take care of and respect the revamped bakkie.

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-07-06

No comments have been left on this article

Please login to leave a comment