Unimog

The 1,000-litre liquid manure drum
(which has of course been thoroughly
cleaned) delivers water for the fields
A “millionaire” in the bush
Father Manfred Förg has run the Nyangana
mission in Namibia’s north since
1962, and for an equally long period has
used a Unimog in the African bush on the
Okavango river near the border with Angola.
The priest and his helpers use the vehicle to
negotiate rough terrain and reach the more
than fifty mission communities with 22,000
Christians located in a 100-kilometre radius.
The Unimog is equipped for these journeys
with a 200-litre water tank, a 50-litre spare
can of diesel, a camping stove and a plank
bed. Father Förg occasionally drives to the
Namibian capital of Windhoek on the 1,000-
kilometre road strewn with potholes. A large
drum of water is often installed on the platform
instead, to supply missions where the
water supply has broken down. Sometimes,
the carefully cleaned-out liquid manure
trailer is filled with almost 1,000 litres of
water so that the hand-planted gardens and
fields can be watered. This Unimog has
already covered more than a million kilometres,
largely without any problems. Only
the filters have had to be replaced from time
to time. Luckily, minor repairs could be carried
out at the mission. As veteran cars more
than 40 years old aren’t subject to taxes in
Namibia, Father Förg doesn’t have to pay tax
on his Unimog any more. This saves 250
Namibian dollars, which is a lot of money for
a missionary. His second Unimog – a U 416
with the U 406’s cab and engine – which the
Father assembled with help from
the locals, is still subject to tax. Fortunately,
Father Förg can now rely on expert help for
both of his “universal motor vehicles”:
In Rundu, some 100 kilometres away, a
mechanic of German origin has opened what
is alleged to be the “best Mercedes truck
workshop in the country”.
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22 Unimog 2|2003