Prominent lawyer Patrick Kauta says he intends to sue works and transport minister Veikko Nekundi after his son was critically injured in a crash on the B1 road in Windhoek.
Kauta believes the crash was caused by recently installed speed humps.
His son remains in an intensive care unit (ICU) nearly three weeks after the crash.
Speaking to The Namibian yesterday, Kauta said his son was recovering from multiple injuries sustained after the vehicle he was driving was rear-ended near the speed hump outside a Windhoek club resort.
“It will now take my son over a year to fully recover. He is still in the ICU, but it’s okay. At least he’s recovering,” Kauta said.
He said his son had slowed down to cross the speed hump when another vehicle allegedly travelling at high speed crashed into the back of his car.
“The car then went down there and hit the wall.
“That’s why he has so many injuries.
“The guy was possibly speeding as well.
“That’s how that accident happened,” Kauta said.
He said he believes the circumstances surrounding the crash warrant legal action against the minister responsible for the road infrastructure.
“I think we will, in the fullness of time, once he recovers nicely. As a lawyer, I’m duty-bound to sue Nekundi,” he said.
The speed humps installed along sections of the B1 have sparked public debate in recent months, with motorists questioning whether they are appropriate on a national highway.
Political activist Michael Amushelelo, who has been campaigning against the speed humps, says the crash reinforces concerns previously raised with authorities.
“While my heart aches for the Kauta family, my spirit is deeply angered.
“For months, we have stood on the bitumen of the B1 corridor, marched on the steps of the High Court, and delivered petitions signed by over 17 000 citizens warning the ministry and the Roads Authority that these speed humps are not safety measures – they are structural death traps,” he says in a statement.
Amushelelo says authorities should replace the speed humps with pedestrian bridges and secure fencing.
“We have always said pedestrian safety matters, but you do not protect a pedestrian by putting motorists and young drivers in harm’s way.
The only logical, humane, and permanent solution has always been proper, elevated pedestrian overhead bridges paired with secure boundary fencing,” he says.
The Namibian has previously reported on complaints from motorists who argued that the raised structures were too abrupt for a national highway and had contributed to accidents, vehicle damage and dangerous situations for road users.
The installations have also sparked protests to reconsider the use of speed humps on major roads, with critics arguing that alternative measures such as pedestrian bridges, proper crossings and fencing would better address pedestrian safety concerns.
However, authorities have maintained that the measures were introduced to reduce speeding and improve safety, particularly in areas where pedestrians frequently cross busy roads.
Nekundi has refused to comment on the matter.
