Staff Reporter
CASES in which illicit fuel traders are apprehended and their stock confiscated by the Namibian police have decreased markedly in the northern regions in recent months, but that does not mean that the illegal importation of fuel has itself decreased.
The smugglers have simply changed the way they conduct their lucrative but illegal business, locally known as “Ngungula”.
Crime investigations coordinator in the Oshana Region, Frederick Ndjadila, said that the police continue their efforts to root out the illegal fuel trade and apprehend the perpetrators.
According to him, the smugglers and their customers have not stopped the illicit trade, but have changed their modus operandi.
Many vehicle owners have acquired border-resident permits which allow them to cross the border, fill up their tanks with cheap Angolan fuel and return to Namibia without necessarily violating any law, but the effects are the same.
Informanté’s investigation found that a significant number of vehicles now have extra fuel tanks added specifically for the purpose of clandestine importation of fuel.
In order to address the smuggling, which causes constant fuel shortages at service stations closer to the border, the Angolan authorities have placed a limit of 80 litres for Namibian and foreign vehicles, but there is always a way of getting more by bribing the petrol attendant.
Informanté also discovered that, in order to avoid detection, fuel smugglers in urban centres such as Eenhana, Oshakati, Outapi, Ongwediva and Ondangwa only attend to their old, trusted customers or those referred by them.
However, smugglers can still be seen cornering customers on the streets of Oshikango in the Ohangwena Region. They do so empty-handed — carrying no fuel containers whatsoever — and using some kind of sign language, understood only by those already familiar with the illicit trade.
There are different hand signals to indicate whether the smuggler is offering a five-litre or a 25-litre container.
In Angola, fuel prices at the pump currently stand at approximately N$5 per litre of petrol compared to N$20 per litre in Namibia.
The negative effects of Ngungula on the energy sector are already being felt in the North, with many filling stations having shut their doors while the existing ones struggle due to a lack of customers.
Picture for illustrative purposes only. Photo: File
