The cold war between Botswana and Namibia over the shooting of alleged Namibian poachers has heated up into a territorial dispute.
A letter from Namibia’s Secretary of National Assembly Lydia Tjihimise Kandetu addressed to Chief Regional Officer in Zambezi Regional Council Regina Ndopu-Lubinda a copy of which has been passed to the Sunday Standard reveals that there is fresh investigation into the treaty signed by then President of Botswana Lt Gen Ian Khama and President Hage Geingob of Namibia in 2018.”
Kandetu also informed Ndopu-Lubinda that the aim of the investigation is to determine whether the shooting of Namibian citizens suspected to be poachers along the two countries’ borders was within the confines of the law. Namibia’s parliament standing committee on Home Affairs, Security, Constitution and Legal Affairs last year held public hearings into the security situation along Chobe, Linyanti and Kwando rivers.
Katendu’s letter dated 13 July 2022 is titled: Public hearing on the security situation along the border between Botswana and Namibia in the Zambezi region by the Parliamentary standing committee on foreign affairs, defence and security, 25-29 July 2022.”
Reads the letter in part: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security will undertake an oversight visit to Zambezi Region from 25-29 July 2022.”
It states that the visit’s main objective is to assess the gravity of the security situation along the border with Botswana.
“The Committee will engage with community Members, Traditional Authorities, relevant OMAs and Civil Societies’ on the subject matter with a view to make informed recommendations for implementation by the executive,” the letter states.
Katendu explained that the Committee has the mandate to exercise oversight functions with regard to Namibia’s foreign policy and its relations with other states on matters of defence and security, to investigate issues relating to policies, standards and procedures followed by the Namibia Central Intelligence Service.
“It may further enquire into and monitor international protocols, conventions and agreements that may affect Namibia’s foreign policy, defence and security, and where necessary, make recommendations to the National Assembly,” said Katendu.
According to Katendu’s letter, “It is on the basis of the above that the Committee will also seek to understand and interrogate the Boundary Treaty signed in 2018 as part of its terms of reference for the visit.”
Katendu further revealed that, “the oversight visit comes as a result of the shooting incidents that have been on the increase in recent years disenfranchising residents living along the border line whose livelihood is based on the shared water resources and farming along the river.”
Thus, Katendu said, the Committee will seek to obtain views, testimonies from mostly the affected communities as well as the Regional Leadership and Traditional Authorities in the affected areas.
The treaty has been a lightning rod of controversy in Namibia with the opposition Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) arguing that It’s not reflective of the true wishes of Namibian border communities. The PDM has therefore been demanding the cancellation of the 2018 border treaty which it claims was hastily concluded without consultations with affected communities.
PDM lawmaker Geoffrey Mwilima was quoted in the Namibian media saying Namibians living along the border with Botswana have complained that part of their grazing land and tourist attractions “are now part of Botswana following the signing of the boundary treaty.”
“Botswana is killing our citizens with impunity, taking our grazing land as if we are no-man’s land,” Mwilima told journalists in Katima Mulilo, capital of Zambezi Region. He said the affected communities were complaining of harassment by the Botswana Defence Force within Namibia.
“The PDM expects that government should, therefore, seriously defend the territorial integrity of this country,” the lawmaker said. He said there are fears that parts of Namibia have been annexed to Botswana “under the pretext of an international treaty.”
The official called on the Windhoek authorities to consult all affected citizens “without fear or favour”. “The issue of the boundary treaty is not an easy one. There was supposed to be a serious intervention by government to conduct a public participation (campaign),” The issue of the border became topical last year when members of the BDF shot dead five Namibian fisherman who were accused of illegally fishing in Botswana waters.
