THIRTY-YEAR-OLD Alexander Afonso is the latest victim of an ongoing brush between civilians and the military, following his alleged assault by Namibian Defence Force members yesterday.
Afonso told that he was coming from the Namibian Traffic Information System (Natis) branch in the Northern Industrial Area, and as he walked on a pavement at about 10h50, an NDF vehicle (registration number NDF 2238) with four officers inside abruptly stopped close to him.
“I just saw a car stopped next to me on the sidewalk. Two officers (one policeman and one soldier) came out, and the soldier asked me “Where are you going at this time of the day?”
The soldier then started slapping him while the police officer harassed him, demanding that he hands over a bag he was carrying, Afonso explained.
After the police officer had searched his bag, he just tossed it to the ground, while more claps rained on him. He has since opened an assault case against the NDF member.
Meanwhile, NDF spokesperson, lieutenant colonel Petrus Shilumbu yesterday gave an assurance that the army was busy investigating claims that soldiers had assaulted civilians in several parts of Windhoek over the weekend.
He was responding to a query by about the progress the army had made in identifying the suspected rogue soldiers.
“Please be patient until the investigation is completed,” Shilumbu informed the newspaper.
On Monday, he had communicated – in a statement – that the defence ministry would probe soldiers who terrorised and brutalised people on Saturday. He added that those found guilty of assaulting civilians would be dealt with according to the military’s disciplinary code, as the army is a law-abiding force.
“This kind of behaviour will not be tolerated. In this regard, the Ministry of Defence will investigate this case, and those who will be found guilty will be dealt with according to the military disciplinary code,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Namibian Law Association (NLA) on Tuesday said they had reached out to the victims of the brutality allegedly committed by NDF soldiers.
“The NLA has reached out to some of the victims of these acts, and has undertaken to assist them in any future litigation that may result from these attacks in an effort to help restore their dignity.”
In a statement issued on Tuesday, NLA governance council chairperson Taswald July called for transparency from the NDF, and to inform members of the public as soon as they identified those suspected of having committed the horrendous acts, and what disciplinary measures would be meted out to those found guilty.
Further condemning the army’s alleged actions, the association said the NDF’s statement that no order was issued green lighting the assault of civilians, is besides the point.
“Any such order would be ipso facto unlawful. The absence of such an order, however, does not absolve the NDF from liability for their members’ actions carried out in the course of an NDF operation,” the statement said.
This week, reported on allegations by civilians about soldiers having assaulted them.
A prominent case was that of Luise Mwanyengapo, who sustained a fractured skull after heavy-handed soldiers allegedly pounced on her at Freedomland in Katutura. An officer attached to the VIP protection unit was also brutally assaulted. He sustained a bruised face and cut lip.
Two other victims, Kyle Sullivan and Uendjii Tjituka, likewise claimed that they were assaulted by soldiers. Sullivan alleged that the soldiers beat him – using a sjambok – at Club London in the Southern Industrial Area, and also slapped him.
Tjituka, on the other hand, alleged that soldiers attacked him at around 23h00 as he was loading chairs at Zauana in Katutura after a graduation party.
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