Ministry of defence rubbishes bogus footage
No Chinese soldiers in Namibia
04 August 2020 | Ministries
Petrus Shilumbu; Ministry of defence; “There is no iota of truth in the audio and visual material that is being circulated.”
“There is no iota of truth in the audio and visual material that is being circulated. There are no Chinese national soldiers in Namibia, be it in Erongo, Khomas or any other region of the country,” says the chief of the public relations division at the ministry of defence and veterans affairs, Lieutenant Colonel Petrus Shilumbu.
He said that the Namibian Navy that is responsible for defending the territorial waters of the country has not, today or in the past days, detected the presence of Chinese military vessels in Namibian waters.
“Equally, the Namibian Defence Force and security apparatus of this country have not detected or seen any movements or presence of Chinese soldiers in this country.”
By way of a media statement, Shilumbu called on members of the public not to believe untruths being circulated by some individuals for reasons known only to them.
Recordings
Audio recordings doing the rounds allege that Chinese national soldiers have been brought to Namibia with four ships and are currently being housed at Ramatex and Luiperds Valley in Windhoek.
The soldiers allegedly landed on the beach in the vicinity of Henties Bay and were then transported to Windhoek. “Namibia does not have any reason to invite foreign troops into our country,” Shilumbu said.
Video footage doing the rounds also shows low-bed trucks allegedly carrying military vehicles belonging to the Chinese national soldiers that are said to have entered Namibia.
Shilumbu also warned the public to refrain from sharing unverified footage on social media as it is against the law.
“Report the authors of those audio and visual materials to the law enforcement agencies so that the law can take its course,” he said.
The audio and visual material currently circulating also appeared on Twitter in May, with a heading: “So, the Chinese Army just rolled into Cape Town”, alleging that the president of that country sold out the country to the Chinese.
Shilumbu reassured the public that the Namibia Defence Force is vigilant and ready to defend the country should the need arise.