The National Council Standing Committee on Home Affairs, Security, Constitutional and Legal Affairs visited the Katima Mulilo Border Post in the Zambezi Region on Monday to find out if recommendations proposed by the committee in 2022 have been implemented by the government.

The Committee conducted oversight visits to selected national borders in March 2022, and the Katima Mulilo Border Post was among these.

In June 2022, the National Council Standing Committee on Home Affairs, Safety, and Security held joint ministerial meetings in camera at the National Council to update the relevant government offices, ministries, and agencies about the status of national border posts.

Given that background, the committee returned to conduct a final visit on the same issues.

Among the challenges the committee earlier observed were a shortage of vehicles for use by immigration officials and other stakeholders; the need for electronic machinery operators to receive training; a shortage of staff; and a lack of parking areas for official vehicles, as well as private vehicles and trucks while awaiting clearance. 

"When we held our oversight visit during 2022, we saw some border posts where the machinery was just operated by foreigners, and we recommended that the ministries should appoint one key official to be trained so that he can start working hand in hand with that foreign official to gain skills. This way, in the future, no machinery will be operated by foreigners, as doing so could compromise the country's security," said Amundjindi Andreas, the vice chairperson of the committee.

The Regional Deputy Director for Home Affairs and Immigration in the Zambezi Region, Daisy Musweu, said not a single vehicle had been bought since recommendations were made to that effect. 

Musweu informed the committee that one minibus is presently used to transport staff, but she said that the vehicle is old and often has to be taken for repairs.

"At one point in 2023, our minibus was parked at the government garage for over a year and several months while waiting for spare parts, as the garage could not afford to purchase parts for all the vehicles."

Ngoma Border Post has no vehicle, she said, after their only vehicle was involved in an accident some time back.

The police report that they only have one minibus, which is used to transport staff on three shifts. 

NamRA officials said they too face the same issue. 

The Katima Mulilo Border Post operates with a shortage of staff, even with new recruitments made following the introduction of the 24-hour border operations there.

The chairperson of the committee, Philemon Ndjambula, said, "The findings and recommendations that emanate from the last oversight visit of the current 6th National Council Standing Committee will be used as part of the baseline information for the incoming Standing Committee on Home Affairs, Security, Legal and Constitutional Affairs of the 7th National Council."

The committee was informed that NamRA officials have been capacitated to operate the scanner used for trucks, as well as other IT-related equipment at all borders.

No repairs or renovations were done on the border fence as per the recommendation by the Committee in 2022. 

Neither were the additional parking bays created for either commercial or private vehicles.