Under the table Angola fuel deals at Oshikango

IT IS a Saturday morning, and the noise of the metal sliding gate opening attracts my attention.

Peeping through the window, a youthful man in his early 20s let in two cars.

They park next to a room – one after another. The young and energetic man quickly vanishes into the room.

Seconds later, he emerges with two 25-litre containers. He fills each car, and the cars leave.

A gang of four men conduct their illegal fuel business at a block of flats at Oshikango where they rent two rooms. They use one room for sleeping and the other as a fuel storage facility.

The men use two registered taxis to transport fuel from Angola to Oshikango. They fill the tanks and empty them into containers before going back to get more fuel.

The business is so lucrative that they no longer transport passengers but focuses on plying this trade.

A resident said the illegal fuel business is not only done at the block of flats but in all settlements surrounding Oshikango.

Another source suspects that the illegal fuel dealers are not working without any support from the authorities.

“They pay bribes for protection and to be allowed to enter into Angola multiple times during the day. If it is you, they will not allow you to enter for the second time,” she adds, noting that the sellers can also report a newcomer trying to enter the market to their contacts in the police.

A taxi driver, Natangwe Iyambo, who plies the Oshikango-Oshakati route each day, says he never fills up his car at a filling station anymore.

“These guys are cheap. I always come here to fill up two times each day, and I am saving,” he says.

Asked whether he is aware Angolan fuel is not good for car engines, Iyambo professed ignorance.

“They (Angolans) also use it on their cars. Why not us?” he asked and then accused the government of trying to prevent people from obtaining cheap fuel.

A litre of petrol and diesel cost about N$12 in Namibia, while in Angola it costs half the price, thus prompting many Namibians, especially those along the Angolan borders, to fill up their vehicles in that country.

Ohangwena police spokesman warrant officer Abner Kaume Itumba told that the police are aware of the illegal fuel trade and the risks it can cause regarding fires.

“People do not want to listen. They should not only think of the money they are making but the risks involved too,” Itumba said.