BOTSWANA AND NAMIBIA JOIN HANDS TO SECURE OUR COMMON TRADE CORRIDORS
The Botswana Police Service and the Namibian Police are joining hands to embark upon the first ever Joint Traffic Law Enforcement Operation for the Trans Kalahari Corridor (TKC) for the period 17-20 July under the theme “Securing Our Common Trade Corridors, One Operation at a Time”. This initiative emanates from the first ever meeting of the Traffic Commanding Officers of the three national police agencies of Botswana, Namibia and Zambia held in Gaborone in April earlier this year. At that meeting, the importance of road safety matters affecting the two regional corridors of the Trans-Kalahari Corridor and the Walvis Bay Ndola Lubumbashi Development Corridors were underscored. This followed a road safety assessment project undertaken by the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) which highlighted certain safety and law enforcement concerns along these corridors. As such, an agreement was made to undertake a comprehensive programme of action, hence, this first ever simultaneous joint law enforcement operation at random all the way from the Port of Walvis Bay up to Pioneergate bordering South Africa. This project which is an initiative of the WBCG and sponsored by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) aims at improving road safety and reducing transport costs along the corridors and thereby contributing to stimulating economic growth. Best practices and success factors that emanate from this exercise shall be replicated to other corridors. In particular, this exercise is focusing on commercial vehicles using the corridors. This joint law enforcement exercise shall institute Zero Tolerance to offenders. It has become imperative, that with the increase in cargo moving along the Walvis Bay Corridors, that measures are being implemented to ensure the safety and security of the corridors.
