Namra charges import tax on wild berries from Angola

The Namibia Revenue Agency (Namra) has confirmed that it charges import tax on indigenous berries (eembe) that enter Namibia from Angola.

Namra spokesperson Tonateni Shidhudhu says import duties apply to goods imported from Angola because the country is not a member of the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu).

Angola has also not ratified the Southern African Development Community Free Trade Area Agreement.

“Namra does not charge N$90 on eembe (berries/wild fruits) when imported, but applies a flat rate of 20% customs duty, as per the weight (kilogrammes) and value declared on the NA305 Baggage Declaration Form, based on the 2020 List of Products,” he says.

The same rate applied for ombike (home-brewed vodka), while the importation of omahangu and maize meal is zero-rated.
The Namibian requested to see the 2020 list of products but Shidhudhu failed to provide it.

The list is also not available on Namra’s website.

Even the import agent at Oshikango could not confirm whether such a document existed.

One importer, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of harassment, told The Namibian the information about levies on indigenous foods has not been made public.

“It is the first time I am hearing about this. People travel between Namibia and Angola daily with bags of eembe and ombike and I have never come across anyone who has been charged,” said the importer.

He says Namra should conduct a public campaign and also make the 2020 list of products public.

Kristine Shilombweleni, who crosses the Oshikango border every second month, told The Namibian on Friday she first encountered the practice last Tuesday.

She was in Angola to visit her aunt, who gave her 5kg of berries to share with relatives in Namibia.

Kwanyamas, Mbalantus, Mbandjas and some Kavango tribes have family members and cultural ties on both sides of the border between Namibia and Angola. The families have been separated by political boundaries imposed during colonialism, and post-colonial borders established between the two countries.

“The customs official told me that I must pay N$350 for the bag. I first argued because this is not the first time that I passed through the borders with eembe or ombike from Angola. I have never paid for it. I have passed here with 50 liters of ombike before, but I was never asked to pay anything,” she says.

Shilombweleni says when she told the officials that she had no money, they began to negotiate the price, and she eventually paid N$90, which she had received from a friend.

She questioned why Namra would implement this practice, which she likened to colonial-era regulations, as the food was not purchased and not intended for resale in Namibia.

“Do they want us to smuggle food into Namibia like oil? Customs was created to make us poor. They must tell the public what is the commercial value of berries and other indigenous food so that we can be better prepared next time,” she says.

Asked to provide proof of payment, Shilombweleni says she was not given any document from the officials.

“The official made me sign a document but did not give me anything. He just told me to go,” she says.