By Marx Itamalo /
For the past five years, Ester Namholo (42), has been sourcing her stock from neighbouring Angola.
A meat and vegetables street vendor, she says goods are much cheaper in Angola than in Namibia.
Namholo, is one of the many business people and ordinary citizens of Namibia, who cross into Angola on a daily basis to buy food, cosmetics, clothes, cigarettes and alcohol.
While many make use of the Oshikango border post, others enter Angola through the many ungazetted entry points through the porous border.
Oshikango is the largest and busiest border town in northern Namibia and is found in the country’s Ohangwena region. Ohangwena borders Angola’s southern province of Cunene.
While many Namibians cross into Angola to buy goods to resell in Namibia for a profit, others simply go to buy items for their own consumption.
“Angola is our lifeline,” Namholo told Omutumwa. “When you buy stuff here, and you go resell back in Namibia, you will be able to make a significant profit.
“Things are cheaper here than in Namibia.”
Omutumwa found Namholo busy exchanging Namibian dollars into Angolan kwanzas at the entrance of the Angolan border town of Santa Clara. The currency exchange is done informally by traders called ‘kengererus’.
They exchange the currency at a small profit. Although some of the ‘kengererus’ do trick customers, especially Namibians entering Angola for the first time, they are heavily relied on as they are fast and their service is ‘hustle free’.
“You don’t need documents, nothing. You give the Namibian dollars, you receive the kwanzas,” Namholo explained.
As there is no fixed exchange rate in the informal business, then exchange rate always revolves around N$100 for Kwanza 5000. On good days, for Namibian buyers, N$100 can be exchanged for Kwanza 6000. This would always mean more items for less.
Those buying goods in small quantities do buy at the border town of Santa Clara, just a few hundred metres from the border.
In the photo: Angolan women selling mopane worms and other foodstuff in bulk at Santa Clara, Angola.
