FOOD & CUSTOMS RESTRICTIONS

MEAT.

At the time of going to print, South Africans were not allowed to take meat of cloven-hoofed animals (including dried meat like droëwors and biltong) across the border into Namibia due to a local foot-and-mouth outbreak. Buy your meat in Namibia. The ban might be lifted at any time. Contact the Meat Board of Namibia for updates 00 264 61 275 830. The board has launched a new Meat Route – turn to page 6 to see where you can buy quality chops.

Normally, if you’re travelling from SA to Namibia, each person is allowed to bring in 25 kg of meat (beef, mutton, venison, chicken – a maximum of 75 kg per vehicle). All meat should preferably be vacuum-packed – and keep the receipts. Returning to SA, you can take back 10 kg of biltong/droëwors and 25 kg of red meat per person. (You must be older than 12 to “carry” meat and no more than three people per vehicle may transport meat.)

FISH.

You need to buy a Recreational Import Permit (R505) from the SA Department of Fisheries to bring up to 30 fish per angler back into SA. There is a limit of 10 fish on the following species: kabeljou, steenbras, galjoen and white seabream. The fish should be frozen and in polystyrene containers. CSCenquiries@dffe. gov.za; callcentre@environment.gov.za

GIFTS, ALCOHOL & CIGARETTES.

Gifts worth up to R1 250 and personal items are duty-free. Each person may bring into Namibia: two cartons of cigarettes; 50 cigars and 250 g tobacco; 2 ℓ wine and 1 ℓ spirits; 50 ml perfume and 250 ml eau de toilette. You may not take braai wood or maize meal across the border. You’re not allowed to pick up stones in Namibia and smuggle them back across the border.

DECLARE YOUR VALUABLES.

Write down the serial numbers of your camera, lenses, cellphone and GPS devices beforehand, to make them easier to declare. Make sure you leave nothing out – sometimes you run into an official hell-bent on giving you trouble.

REMEMBER!

The above regulations may change at short notice.