Leave Brad and Angelina alone, paparazzi told

Namibian authorities are clamping down on journalists trying to follow Brad Pitt, heavily pregnant Angelina Jolie and her two adoptive children, according to a newspaper report.

South Africa’s Sunday Times said its own photographer and three French photographers were ordered to leave Namibia or face arrest. Journalists require accreditation to work in the country.

Namibian Prime Minister Nahas Angula defended the move, saying the couple should be left alone.

“This lady is expecting,” he told the Sunday Times. ”You guys are harassing her. Why don’t you allow her some privacy? Harassment is not allowed in Namibia.”

“If a person says they don’t want to be photographed then, of course, that person deserves protection.”

The couple and their entourage are staying at the luxury Burning Shores resort hotel between the scenic old colonial German town of Swakopmond and the resort of Walvis Bay.

Despite tight security, photographers have managed to snap images of Hollywood’s hottest couple.

The Sunday Times said that Jolie and Pitt were last week spotted at a local Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet with the children, Maddox and Zahara, and went to a pet store to buy a turtle. They also visited a jewellery shop, sparking rumours about an engagement ring.

A Namibian official said last week that Jolie might have Pitt’s baby in the southern African nation.

The newspaper said that the couple’s security chief gave a local journalist a statement appealing for privacy.

“We love Africa and to be here in Namibia with our family is very special for us,” it said. “To the local people who have been so kind and gracious, thank you for making us feel at home.”

“As for the press, we kindly ask for privacy so that we can enjoy this beautiful country with our children.” It was signed Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

Jolie, who starred with Pitt in the movie “Mr and Mrs Smith,” reportedly fell in love with Namibia when filming the movie “Beyond Borders” in 2002.

Namibia, rich in diamonds and strategic metals and home to 1.8 million people, gained independence from neighbouring South Africa after a 23-year war in 1990 and has since been ruled by a democratically elected government.

More than 21% of Namibians are HIV-infected. The country also suffers from deep poverty and perennial food shortages, but rarely makes international headlines.

The country is a popular destination for South Africans for its brilliant scenery and teeming wildlife, but otherwise remains an insider tip for small numbers of foreign tourists.