NEWLY appointed Khomas regional commander Joseph Shikongo yesterday condemned the brutal use of force by soldiers and police officers on members of the public as part of ‘Operation Kalahari Desert’.
Shikongo said this during a meeting which was called to resolve the differences between the operation’s members and a family which was allegedly assaulted at its Windhoek North home on Sunday.
The family’s matriarch, Jane !Owoses (49), was allegedly assaulted by members of the newly launched ‘Operation Kalahari Desert’.
She was, however, not the only victim of Sunday’s alleged police assault, which is the latest report of a brush between law-enforcement officers and civilians.
Two other victims, who claimed to have been detained for about an hour at a police station, were also reportedly assaulted. They were later released.
The meeting, attended by high-ranking police officers and several other victims and witnesses of Sunday’s assault, was held at the Windhoek Central Police Station.
Shikongo used the opportunity to urge the operation’s shift commanders to control their subordinates.
“We are not condoning these things, we are not allowing these things to happen. Not at all. Members of the public who feel they have been assaulted must come forward,” he said, urging members of the public to equally behave when dealing with the law-enforcement officers.
The regional commander said the recent conduct of the law-enforcement agents painted a bad picture of the operation, whose objective is to curb crime. There are rules of engagement which must be respected by all members of the operation, Shikongo said, adding that the operation is not meant to violate civilians, but instead to protect them.
He admitted that some members of the public are ill-disciplined and often hurl insults at officers on patrol. He said some even refer to the law-enforcement personnel as ‘makakunyas’, which he said was a name given to soldiers who brutalised people during the apartheid era.
Shikongo said officers should not mind the rude remarks, and avoid being controlled by emotions.
He also addressed the issue of men who were allegedly assaulted for wearing earrings, saying there is no law prohibiting men from wearing earrings.
“Persons putting on earrings have not committed any crime. We respect the rights of all Namibians. Those officers [who assault men wearing earrings] have acted on their own accord,” Shikongo stressed.
The Namibian visited the !Owoses home, shortly after the alleged attack.
Upon arrival at the residence, a large group of onlookers from the neighbourhood were found gathered outside the home.
“I was inside the house when I heard the noise of people being chased, then I came out. Then I saw them just pulling George. He used to stay at my house. I haven’t seen him for a long time. So, I asked him what was going on, and where he was coming from. They were pulling him, slapping him, and beating him with their guns. It was terrifying,” !Owoses narrated.
She also spoke about how her 27-year-old neighbour, Sean Frans Gawanab, ran towards her house, seeking refuge after he was reportedly pounced on.
“I was trying to help Sean, because this guy drives my kids (sic). I couldn’t watch him being killed in my house. How would I tell his parents?”, she asked rhetorically.
She described her ordeal as humiliating and terrifying as it was done in front of her young children.
Gawanab said he had been accompanying his girlfriend to a nearby three-way junction to get a taxi, when his friends joined them. A few minutes later, a taxi approached, from where a man thought to be an undercover police officer, emerged.
The man was wearing a police vest, and out of the blue just slapped one of his acquaintances. A concerned Gawanab said he then asked the man about his bizarre act. The taxi meanwhile drove off, and returned after 10 to 15 minutes, he added.
This time around, the taxi was accompanied by a police minibus. At this point, a confrontation broke out, Gawanab explained. A melee ensued, where the operation’s members began assaulting the group of men gathered at the three-way junction.
It was at this point that he scurried to !Owoses home, whose children he ferries to school, in an attempt to look for help. He was, however, fished out from there by the police officers, and transported to a police station.
Another resident, Bryon Rudath (23), claimed he was caught up in the commotion that also engulfed a car wash business he operates in that street.
When this newspaper met Rudath after his release, he was limping and had red marks on his chest, as well as a bruised lower lip, which he claimed he sustained during an assault by the police officers.
Police inspector general Sebastian Ndeitunga, who has previously condemned the use of force during the operation, informed The Namibian on Sunday that he will look into the matter as he was not well-informed about what had happened yet.
He, however, said it was unheard of that law-enforcement officers could assault civilians without cause.
“If people cooperate, there will be no need for violence,” he stated.
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