Finding your way to OATF

Silas Ndapuka is the founder and owner of Silas Ndapuka Transport. He, and his buses, are a frequent sight in northern Namibia. Operating since 2011, Ndapuka’s company offers transportation services on various routes between destinations, including the coast, the south, and northern Namibia.

"Our buses cater to many types of trips. We have the big buses that usually accommodate visitors from Windhoek who are headed to the north. These are our most popular routes and with the trade fair coming back this year, I am sure we will see a spike in terms of bookings," he said.

Ndapuka urged visitors travelling to the north to book early to avoid disappointment.

"We are always ready to accommodate our customers. We also offer a range of buses for hire to any large companies or groups."



Positive signs

“The trade fair being back is a good sign that we are slowly reviving our economy and getting back to our old way of living before the Covid-19 pandemic. Business was impacted heavily by the travel restrictions within the country,” Ndapuka said.

Penda Timotheus, a 37-year-old taxi driver, who operates his taxi services between Ongwediva and Ondangwa, agreed.

“It was seriously tough, but we managed to pull through.”

He said there is no doubt Ondangwa residents, who live less than 30 kilometres from Ongwediva, will flock to the trade fair.

“It is one of the biggest events in the north and it has not taken place for a very long time,” he said.

Timotheus said he and his fellow taxi drivers look forward to the fair, but also urged drivers to be safe on the road. “The roads are going to be congested because of the influx of people coming to the north. It happens every year. We will also have some drunk drivers on the road, so we need to be safe and ensure there are no accidents on our roads,” he said.



Dial-a-cab

Silas Shidute, who has been driving the Ongwediva-Ondangwa route since 2019, said the fair organisers should consider collaborating with local taxi drivers for a “dial-a-taxi” service, since there is no service of this nature currently on offer.

“It would be nice if the Ongwediva town council could do a few background checks on taxi drivers in the north and then put our numbers up on their platforms to provide transport services to visitors to the trade fair. It will ensure visitors are safely transported to their homes and responsible drivers can be then used the following year,” he said.

The Ongwediva Trade Fair is centrally located to enable easy access to taxis services for commuters.