Shikongo calls for peace amid Namibia-Angola vendor tensions
While vendors in northern Namibia are calling on police to address the presence of Angolan immigrants selling goods in various towns, Police Inspector General Joseph Shikongo says Namibians should learn to coexist with them.
Shikongo issued this appeal on Friday during the launch of the Oshana Close-Circuit Television (CCTV) project in Oshakati, describing calls for Angolans to return to their country as unneighbourly.
“We don’t choose who to be our neighbour. We are neighbours by virtue of nature, and we need to live with them. There is a word in English which is 'coexistence'. No matter the challenge, see how you can talk to each other,” Shikongo said.
Shikongo added: “I have seen what has been happening, and it is not good. We have our own people who go and buy goods in Angola.”
The police chief said that during a recent visit to Oshikango, the community complained that there were too many Angolans in the area. “I told them to go to Ondjiva and see how many Namibians are there,” he said.
“Go to Oshimolo where cattle are grazing and see how many people are there. I can tell you that we have more than a million cattle belonging to Namibians.”
His remarks follow a recent demonstration by Namibians against Angolan nationals.
Last month, vendors in Oshakati petitioned the government to address the issue, while the latest demonstration took place in Omuthiya last Tuesday.
Work together
Shikongo added that since 2023, Namibian governors and their Angolan counterparts have worked to ensure peaceful coexistence between the countries' citizens and warned against spoiling the relationship between the neighbours.
“Those are our neighbours, and we should live with them, so therefore we need to create an environment which is conducive for neighbourliness," he said.
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Shikongo issued this appeal on Friday during the launch of the Oshana Close-Circuit Television (CCTV) project in Oshakati, describing calls for Angolans to return to their country as unneighbourly.
“We don’t choose who to be our neighbour. We are neighbours by virtue of nature, and we need to live with them. There is a word in English which is 'coexistence'. No matter the challenge, see how you can talk to each other,” Shikongo said.
Shikongo added: “I have seen what has been happening, and it is not good. We have our own people who go and buy goods in Angola.”
The police chief said that during a recent visit to Oshikango, the community complained that there were too many Angolans in the area. “I told them to go to Ondjiva and see how many Namibians are there,” he said.
“Go to Oshimolo where cattle are grazing and see how many people are there. I can tell you that we have more than a million cattle belonging to Namibians.”
His remarks follow a recent demonstration by Namibians against Angolan nationals.
Last month, vendors in Oshakati petitioned the government to address the issue, while the latest demonstration took place in Omuthiya last Tuesday.
Work together
Shikongo added that since 2023, Namibian governors and their Angolan counterparts have worked to ensure peaceful coexistence between the countries' citizens and warned against spoiling the relationship between the neighbours.
“Those are our neighbours, and we should live with them, so therefore we need to create an environment which is conducive for neighbourliness," he said.
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