UK based Zimbabwean chartered accountant, Nyika, has shared his experience being in Namibia as a professional. He shares how this experience led to him relocating to the UK.
Pindula shares the full thread for those that may consider relocating to Namibia:
Why I left Namibia
I was happy to get a job in Namibia in 2020. It’s close to Zimbabwe. However, I lasted only 10 months before relocating to UK.
Namibia is friendly and peaceful. Windhoek city is clean & quiet. It has modern malls. Wide and modern roads etc.I didn’t see a future in Namibia due to various reasons. The gvt policy towards foreigners is unfriendly. A foreigner is required to coach a local person & may be used by the gvt not to renew your visa as they expect the one coached to be able to take over and do the work.
Your work permit may not be approved by gvt on renewal & you are required to leave the country. There is no clear policy regarding permanent resident (PR) or citizenship. I know some people who spent more than 20 years working yet PR applications were not approved by gvt.
Spouses on dependent visa are not permitted to work unless they can secure their own work permit. If your profession is not on critical skills list & you are inexperienced, you can not secure a permit. This means you cannot work. Living in Namibia becomes very difficult.
It’s expensive in terms of accomodation & food, so having a non-working spouse is not an option. 2 bed flat costs R9000 depending on location. Medical aid £6500 will create shortfalls for family of 5, it means you pay cash for bills despite paying so much contributions monthly.
If you add car loan repayment, groceries, car insurance, fuel, school fees , you cannot save at all. Schools fees is paid monthly, at St Georges I was paying R6500 per child per month. Buying a house is even expensive, land is not cheap.
At some holiday resort, you are treated as a tourist for some activities. Hence, you are charged more. Opportunities are so limited that it’s difficult to get or change a job as a foreign. You will be luck to get a jobs as spouses. If you want to venture into business permits.
May not be issued to a foreign, if successful for some years, they may not renew your permits. For me, I didn’t see a future in Namibia. Consider Namibia last as an option if planning to relocate.
You may supervise locals who are not efficient at work, you end up doing the work for them without resting. I also supervised some locals who would fall ill regularly if under pressure, you would again need to cover for the lost time. I also had hardworking locals in teams.
Due to the economic pressures at home, Zimbabweans have found themselves needing to relocate. South Africa, by far, hosts the largest number of immigrants
If you have emigrated from Zimbabwe, please do share your experiences in establishing yourself permanently outside the country.