President Hage Geingob has stressed that the looting and violence happening in South Africa (SA) will have an adverse effect on Namibia, describing the situation as a shared sympathy.

The violent riots in the neighbouring country followed the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma last week, which resulted in crowds looting and setting alight shopping centres in some parts of the country and leaving a death toll of over 70 people by Tuesday.

Sharing his sympathies during a courtesy visit by SA’s Minister of International Relations, Dr Naledi Pandor, here on Wednesday, Geingob said there is no way Namibia will escape the situation, noting that the transport sector is already suffering, and that the transportation of some goods has already been halted.

“We are in this together. We are worried because some of our oxygen, which is a dire need at the moment, is transported from SA, so I have already sent a message to my brother Cyril Ramaphosa regarding the situation,” he noted.

The Head of State further stressed that those who were part of the struggle to build the country know how difficult it is to build a nation; therefore, the looting needs an urgent intervention to prevent more destruction.

Pandor said the South African government understands that there might be possible orchestration. She said the country’s army has been deployed and the situation is calming down.

She further indicated that many communities have lost jobs, incomes and shopping in their local areas is now impossible.

Pandor however noted that some affected community members understand the aftermath of the looting and have joined the government in ending the violent protests as well.

“South Africa and Namibia, we are resilient nations and we will overcome this situation before it further destroys livelihoods,” she noted.

Pandor is on a two-day working visit to Namibia on bilateral agreements between the two countries.

Source: Namibia News Agency