Namibia Tourist Trap Tips by toonsarah

Parking in towns

Visiting Swakopmund and Windhoek and looking around for a place to park the car, we discovered the Namibian alternative to parking meters. Local people, usually young men, hover by the kerb ready to approach you as soon as you step out of the car in order to offer to look after it. If you accept you’re charged a small fee and a slip of paper is tucked under the wiper to indicate that “this car is being watched, so meddle with it at your peril”. At times three or four people were competing for our custom in this way.

I don’t know what would happen to your car, if anything, if you refused these offers as we never did. Remember that:
a) this fee may be his main or only source of income
b) it’s still a lot cheaper than parking in most cities around the world
c) it’s a lot less hassle than a damaged or stolen hire car!