Members of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) allegedly harassed a Namibian tour guide and two foreign tourists on the banks of the Chobe River, which borders the two neighbouring countries.
The Namibian newspaper quoted tour guide Bennito Siyeya (34) as saying that they were approached by BDF members on a patrol boat about 30 minutes into the cruise on 18 November.
They asked the tour guide where he was from and why they were parked on the Botswana side of the river.
Siyeya claimed that he told them he was in the middle of the river and not on the Botswana side.
“They kept on insisting and told us to immediately go away if we did not want problems. The [Swiss] couple I was with got frightened and then advised me not to talk back to them,” he said.
He said soon after the exchange, the same BDF boat drove to the Namibian side of the river as theirs was too shallow to use.
“I wanted to confront them about it, but my guests advised me to leave and report it to the police instead,” he was quoted as saying.
“I reported it to the police, and they are aware of it. In the same vein, I would like to urge the government to take this issue of the Chobe River seriously, because it's clear that our neighbours hate us. Our lives are in danger, and if left unattended, we will take matters into our own hands.”
Namibian Lives Matter national chairperson Sinvula Mudabeti said the continued harassment of locals and tourists by the BDF on the Chobe River is a ticking time bomb, which Windhoek continues to ignore.
BDF personnel have been previously accused of aggression, intimidation and harassment of Namibians and tourists on the river.
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