Justicia Shipena
The United Kingdom (UK) plans to remove fast-track visa services for Namibian diplomats and VIPs as part of a penalty system aimed at countries that do not take back people the UK classifies as illegal migrants and foreign criminals. Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are also listed under the planned measures.
The UK says the three countries have refused to repatriate more than 4 000 unauthorised immigrants and offenders.
If cooperation does not improve within a month, the restrictions will escalate to a full visa ban on all citizens.
UK home secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the measures on Monday and described them as major reforms to the country’s immigration system.
She said foreign governments must accept the return of their citizens or risk losing the privilege of entering the UK. Reports say the strategy is inspired by a Trump-era deportation approach in the United States.
Under the new system, the UK will tighten how Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights is applied in migration appeals.
Only people with immediate family in the UK will be able to use the right to family life to stop deportation.
The reforms will also limit repeated asylum appeals and extend the waiting period for permanent settlement to 20 years.
The UK says asylum claims have increased because refugee status is being treated as a highly desirable opportunity.
The new reforms include that refugee status will become temporary and reviewed regularly.
In addition, people will be removed when their home countries are deemed safe and housing and weekly allowances will not be guaranteed.
The reforms also introduce capped legal routes for work and study to prevent risky channel crossings. A new independent body will fast-track the removal of dangerous criminals and handle last-minute appeals.
International relations analyst Marius Kudumo says the UK’s threat to impose visa sanctions on Namibia appears politically driven.
He told the Windhoek Observer that the move fits a pattern seen across Europe, where right-wing parties gain influence by blaming immigrants for economic and social pressures.
“You have seen it in Germany and other countries. The basis of them gaining power is the blame put on immigrants. I will not be surprised if what we are seeing in the UK is the same. You blame others for your problems,” he said.
Kudumo said Namibia should respond proportionally.
“So you do to us, we do to you what you are doing to us. If they suspect Namibians of wanting to stay in the UK, then we have to treat them the same way.”
He questioned whether the UK’s claims justify such measures.
“Even if the whole of Namibia, three point something million people, goes to the UK, it is insignificant compared to their population,” he said.
He said African travellers continue to face racial bias in Europe.
“If you travel in Europe, you are always a suspect if you are African. But if Europeans come to Africa, they receive first-class treatment.”
He argued that the UK displays selective morality by recruiting skilled Africans while enforcing tough anti-immigration policies toward others.
Last year, Namibia’s Cabinet approved visa requirements for nationals of 31 countries, including the UK, for all travel purposes. The government said the move would guarantee equity in diplomatic dealings. The UK withdrew the visa-free agreement for Namibians in 2023 after asylum applications from Namibians rose sharply. The number increased from 27 in 2016 to more than 1 400 in 2023.
Make Africa attractive for Africans
In January, two Namibian asylum seekers in the UK were charged with shoplifting after allegedly stealing expensive designer handbags from the Bluewater shopping centre in Greenhithe to resell.
Kudumo said the UK’s timing suggests a link to domestic politics. He said immigration is being used to win votes.
“They are taking our jobs, they are bringing crime, and they are bringing drugs, as Trump would say. The governing parties react because they can lose votes on the basis of the immigration issue,” he added.
He said Namibia should challenge the UK’s claims if they are not factual.
“Diplomatically, we must challenge it. We must expose the hypocrisy of the international governance system, because the same people who talk about cooperation are mistreating other human beings.”
He said African governments must address the conditions that drive people to search for opportunities abroad.
He said Africa needs to speak with one voice but is failing to do so, adding that the continent must become attractive to its own people.
Kudumo said the tensions reflect deeper failures in international relations and warned that the global governance system remains hypocritical and selective, shaped by the interests of powerful countries.
