The Sunday Mail
Sunday Mail Reporter
Some Air Namibia staff could be investigated for allegedly detaining 12 Zimbabweans who were travelling to Turkey last Wednesday and forcing them to return to Harare. The twelve returned home on Friday, and immediately sought recourse via the airline’s Harare office. According to information gathered by The Sunday Mail, the passengers wanted to conduct business in Turkey and flew to Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, where they were supposed to connect to the European country.
It is, however, understood that they were detained at Air Namibia offices for two days despite having valid visas from Turkey’s embassy in Harare.
Zimbabwe’s chief diplomat in Namibia Ambassador Rofina Chikava who reportedly tried to assist them could not be reached for comment.
Air Namibia Harare representative Mr Forbes Zaranyika said, “I can confirm that we have received a complaint about ill-treatment of Zimbabwean passengers. I was not in Windhoek, so I have communicated with the office there so that they may issue a comment soon.”
A passenger who preferred anonymity said, “It was a harrowing experience, which we did not expect because we bought return air tickets to Turkey and boarded the flight on Wednesday. Soon after our arrival in Windhoek, Air Namibia staff asked us some derogatory questions and passed some inappropriate comments.
“They asked questions such as, ‘Why are you flocking to Turkey, are you not criminals? Are you fleeing hunger in Zimbabwe?’ They then took our passports and we missed the flight that we were supposed to take. One staffer said, ‘Go back to your country, we do not want you to use our routes.’”
Another passenger said, “Our Ambassador in Namibia later intervened because the Air Namibia staff were refusing to talk to us. The Ambassador was able to call Turkey embassy officials who confirmed that our visas were, indeed, authentic.
“Namibia police were called to intervene and they were very cooperative, but Air Namibia staff continued to treat us rudely and they insisted that they did not want us to use their routes.”
