The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism intercepted a truck full of unprocessed timber last weekend in Windhoek, which was intended for export to South Africa. 1500 planks on the truck were confiscated and the transport permit was temporarily suspended pending further investigations to establish where the timber came from and if it was legally acquired. The Ministry introduced a moratorium on timber harvesting, transportation, marketing, and exporting in 2018. And according to Chief Public Relations Officer Romeo Muyunda, this has led to a major reduction in deforestation and illegal timber harvesting. The Ministry has also
stepped up forest monitoring and inspection activities to ensure the prevention of illegal operations. The Public is therefore urged to be cautious and report any illegal timber activities to the Ministry and other relevant authorities such as the Namibian Police. Muyunda further warns those committing or intending to undertake illegal activities to refrain and follow setout laws and procedures or risk being caught and face the full wrath of the law.