Placido Hilukilwa
ALINA Shaalukeni was supposed to travel on Wednesday and report to work in Walvis Bay on Thursday morning.
However, she only managed to board a bus at Ondangwa late Thursday afternoon, arriving in the coastal town early Friday morning.
Eusebius Sheefeni is equally late for work and was this morning still struggling for a seat in a Windhoek-bound bus.
Photos: Placido Hilukilwa
Many more people find themselves in a similar situation after spending the Festive Season with their families in the North and needing to travel back to their respective workplaces south of the Red Line.
The situation is expected to get worse, with most school learners also travelling to their respective schools this weekend.
Oshana Region’s Acting Police Commander, Frederick Ndjadila, said that practically all bus loading zones in the region are currently “crowded” as travelers scramble for bus space.
He warned bus operators not to fall into the temptation of overloading, overpricing and overspeeding.
“Road safety should be the number one priority,” said Ndjadila, adding that the disregard of traffic rules leads to accidents, and accidents create fear of travelling which, in turn, negatively affects the passenger transport industry.
“When people are afraid of travelling because of too many accidents, the passenger transport industry suffers,” he said.
He said that law enforcement officers are deployed and ready to take action against anyone disregarding traffic rules.
Ndjadila, who is the head of crime investigations in the region, warned travelers to beware of thieves at bus loading zones.
“Not everyone who turns up carrying a travel bag is a genuine traveler,” he said, noting that some of such people are wolves in sheep’s skin, pick-pocket thieves looking for opportunities to steal wallets, cellphones and other valuable items from unsuspecting travelers.
