Off to Namibia….  Saturday, 01/02/2025

I seem to be recovering well from my operation. I’m lucky. 

Because I’ve been delayed by all this, I needed to extend my stay in South Africa for say one month. The 90 days that I automatically received on entry expires on February 10th. With most countries, you can simply apply online to extend your stay, and it should be easily achievable if you’ve had what would be classed as a “medical emergency”. 

But this is South Africa! On Monday morning I went down to the passport office in the harbour and attempted to get my stay extended by one month. They could not do it, and seemed surprised that I was even asking. Instead, they directed me to a private company called Visa Facilitation Services which represents the South African authorities and a number of other countries (visas for Thailand, for example). It wasn’t far away, so no problem. They weren’t at the address that I was given, but I discovered the new address when I pressured the man on reception. Initially, my request was met with a bit of confusion. But fortunately a senior man came out to me. He confirmed that I could apply for an extension, but he warned that the Department of Home Affairs could easily take three months to respond – and then, raising his hand to his mouth to speak quietly, he said it could take six months. The problem then, he said, would be that I would be in the country illegally after the 10th of February. Again speaking confidentiality, he said: “I recommend that you leave the country and then return, whereupon you should get another 90 days”. He again repeated that I should not under any circumstances slip into illegal status. (Discussing with a couple of business people afterwards, they supported my suspicion that this black man was giving me a friendly warning: you are a white man, and therefore you could be made an example of, perhaps to demonstrate that South Africa treats all illegals harshly. Interesting). 

So: action was needed. I had a couple of options. I could have driven 500 kilometres (over 300 miles) up to Eswatini (previously called Swaziland), but a simple two day stay there might look suspicious – not really a substantial enough “leaving of the country”. So I decided that flying to Namibia would be a better idea. It had been my plan to sail up the west coast of Africa and stop at Walvis Bay in Namibia, and from there hire a vehicle and travel around the country. 

Flying to the capital Windhoek is relatively easy: a one hour flight to Johannesburg and then two hours onto Windhoek. It makes good sense. It’s a better place to rent the sort of vehicle I want, which is a 4×4, because outside of a few main roads, most Namibian roads are gravel, and in some places only really suitable for a 4×4. What I’m getting is one equipped for camping: with a roof tent, as well as all the camping essentials. The pick-up truck I’m getting – either a Toyota Hilux or a Nissan Navarra – will have an additional fuel tank: so 160 litres in all, plus two spare wheels. 

During this week I found a hire company that has a suitable vehicle at short notice (luckily, this is low season – high season is winter time), and have planned a roughly 2,250 km (1,400 mile) route. From Windhoek southwest to the famous sand dunes at Sossusvlei, then north-west up to Swakopmund on the coast, then northwards towards the huge Etosha national park, then eastwards through the park, and down to the Waterberg Plateau and finally back to Windhoek. It’ll be a 15-day trip. I leave tomorrow morning.

Namibia is famous for its desert scenery. I’ve always wanted to go, so hopefully the trip will work out well. I should have some good photos to post. And then on my return, assuming that I don’t have problems with the authorities, I can prepare for departure from Durban by sea. As I’ve said before, hopefully my luck holds!