Should Namibia Reciprocate on the US Visa Service Cut?

NAMIBIANS seeking to travel to the United States (US) will no longer be able to get a visa at the US Embassy in Windhoek.

Effective from 1 August, applicants must travel across the border to Johannesburg or Cape Town in South Africa to be interviewed, fingerprinted and processed.

The embassy says it is not a downgrade of diplomatic ties, and insists it “does not change the operating status of the embassy”.

However, to the average Namibian traveller, student or businessperson, the practical effect is the same as a partial closure: an extra flight, extra days off work, a hotel bill, and possibly a South African transit visa, just to apply for a piece of paper previously obtained at home.

Namibia is not being singled out. The decision is part of sweeping US state department restructuring under secretary of state Marco Rubio.