MEGA stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrived in Namibia at the crack of dawn yesterday. As far as The Namibian was able to establish last night, the couple have reportedly brought their two children - Maddox and Zahara - with them.

It is unclear how long they will stay in Namibia, or what the family's plans are while they are here.

At the weekend, wire reports emanating from overseas speculated that Jolie, who is pregnant with Pitt's child, was coming to have her baby in Namibia.

Alternative reports have suggested that the family is just on a visit.

Both stars value their privacy and are very protective of their children.

The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation radio news yesterday quoted immigration officials confirming that the Jolie-Pitt family had arrived at Walvis Bay at around 06h30.

Sources in Europe earlier told The Namibian that the couple had flown out of Le Bourget airport in Paris in a private jet on Monday night - believed to be headed for Namibia.

Jolie is no stranger to Namibia.

The Oscar-winning actress spent time in the country in 2002 during the filming of the international feature movie on refugees, 'Beyond Borders', at Swakopmund.

Namibia is believed to hold particularly fond memories for Jolie.

It was here that she took legal custody of her adopted Cambodian son, Maddox, in March 2002.

At that time he was seven-and-a-half months old.

Last year Jolie adopted a little Ethiopian girl, Zahara, an orphan.

ACTIVE FOR AFRICA

It is not known if Pitt has previously visited Namibia.

However, he has visited South Africa and Ethiopia, and shares Jolie's humanitarian concerns.

The couple are said to have fallen in love with Africa.

Much of the focus of their humanitarian commitment is directed at the continent, as well as Asia.

In 2001, Jolie was asked by the United Nations High Commission to become its Goodwill Ambassador.

She has also been awarded the UN Correspondents Association's Citizen of the World Award, which was presented to her by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

In addition to Namibia's Osire refugee camp, Jolie is reported to have visited refugee camps in Tanzania, Congo, Thailand, Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Kosovo and Ingushetia.

Pitt and Jolie also constantly advocate the plight of refugees and those caught up in conflict on the world stage.

SPACE 'RESPECTED'

In an interview with The Namibian when the actress left Namibia after shooting 'Beyond Borders', the producer, Lloyd Phillips, quoted Jolie as saying she had had a great time in the country.

Phillips said Jolie had felt very comfortable in Namibia "as people respected her space completely".

He said Jolie and her two co-stars, Clive Owen and Noah Emmerich had felt very connected to the country.

Although Jolie was rarely seen in public, many of the crew members and extras who worked with her or interacted with her on the movie set commented on how open and accessible she was.

She was not fussy about the food she ate, she made a point of greeting people on the set and played with the extras' children between shoots.

Jolie also made a special effort to thank all the people she worked with during the last week of filming.