Otjozondjupa Police Commander Phillip Hidengwa has urged motorists to avoid overloading and strictly adhere to road traffic rules.

When the NBC News team visited the Otjiwarongo roadblock, traffic flow was relatively slow. However, Hidengwa noted that traffic volume increases at different intervals throughout the day.

He said overloading, either with passengers or goods, remains the main concern at the roadblock.

"If you find passengers overloaded in the bus, it always makes it difficult to offload some public members to say they should get off; however, we are very lucky because we are very close to Otjiwarongo. We advise the drivers to just drive back and get an extra vehicle to load their passengers."

Overloading poses serious risks, including reduced vehicle control, increased braking distances, and a higher likelihood of accidents.

Commissioner Hidengwa added that this is also a time when criminals are active, taking advantage of homes and business areas left unattended. 

However, the police remain fully prepared, with operations deployed across the region.

"We are not saying these things will not happen, but we are trying by all means to make sure that whoever has gone on holiday will find the residence or their business still the same. We are also urging that whoever is leaving his or her residence notify the police to make sure that police officers do routine patrols of residential areas."

Hidengwa also urged farm owners to regularly account for their livestock, as criminals often target farms during this period.