THE death of a taxi driver who was allegedly shot by a member of ‘Operation Kalahari Desert’ in Windhoek yesterday has sparked a public backlash over the alleged heavy-handedness of armed forces when dealing with civilians.
Reports from the police stated that the taxi driver was shot by a member of ‘Operation Kalahari Desert’ after he allegedly made a U-turn to avoid the police who were manning a roadblock set up in Monica Street at the Greenwell Matongo informal settlement. A member of the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) has been arrested in connection with the incident, and is expected to appear in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court today.
Police chief inspector general Sebastian Ndeitunga yesterday said they were still investigating the matter.
He described the incident as unfortunate and regrettable, saying members of the operation were all briefed and trained about their conduct.
“We were also caught by surprise because they are supposed to operate by the law. We want to assure the public that we are serious about this, and we have arrested the person. We will continue to brief our members so that this does not happen again,” said the police chief.
Khomas regional crime investigations coordinator, deputy commissioner Abner Agas said the deceased is yet to be indentified, as the police were still attempting to locate his next of kin.
A witness to the shooting, who was working on night duty at the time of the incident at a nearby business, related to the events of that morning.
According to him, City Police, the Namibian Police and NDF officers who were on ‘Operation Kalahari Desert’ patrol arrived at his workplace about an hour after midnight, and mounted a roadblock.
One group stationed itself between the Kwasa Kwasa business premises and a nearby panelbeating workshop. The second group, the source said, was stationed at the three-way junction leading to Goreangab Dam.
The taxi driver allegedly came from the west and was headed towards town, the source said. He said it was at this point that the ‘Operation Kalahari Desert’ members stationed between Kwasa Kwasa and the panelbeating workshop flashed a torch light at the taxi driver.
At this point, the taxi driver sped towards Goreangab Dam. An NDF member who was part of the patrol then tried to stop the ‘fleeing driver’ [by screaming at him]. He nonetheless apparently continued to drive on, the source said.
The soldier then fired a shot in the direction of the vehicle, while two more shots – which the source said were aimed at the ground – were fired.
The driver consequently lost control of the car, causing it to crash into nearby bushes.
Many consider the shooting as the end-result of a series of assaults reportedly carried out by the security forces against unarmed civilians.
This is not the first time that uniformed personnel have fatally shot motorists in controversial circumstances.
Matheus ‘Shipi’ Shipanga was fatally shot by a Windhoek City Police officer during the early morning hours of 7 February 2011.
The shooting took place near the intersection of Otjomuise Road and the C28 road which runs to the Daan Viljoen Nature Reserve, west of Windhoek.
According to the police, Shipanga disregarded a police order to stop when he drove through the intersection. The police then fired one shot at his vehicle.
His vehicle was struck at the rear, but the bullet tore through the back seat and the driver’s seat, and struck Shipanga in the back, killing him.
Shipanga was apparently on his way to his fiancée’s house in Katutura, after he had dropped off a friend near the national library in town.
He was 36 years old at the time, employed at the National Theatre of Namibia, and had two sons.
WIDE-RANGING CONDEMNATION
Namibia Transport and Taxi Union leader Werner Januarie yesterday questioned why the army is allowed to patrol the streets, stressing that they must be sent back to the barracks.
Condemning the incident, Januarie said the police should patrol the streets and deal with civilians on their own without the army in tow.
“Even hardened criminals do not have to be gunned down in such a manner,” Januarie stated.
Human rights lawyer Norman Tjombe has called for an investigation into the conduct of defence force members, and described the incident as “a terrible one as it violates the right to life.”
“It is so important that those armed with dangerous weapons take extra care when using those weapons. It could have been worse. There could have been passengers in the taxi who may have been injured or killed too,” said Tjombe.
He thus demanded that the defence ministry not just investigates its member’s conduct, but also takes immediate and remedial action so that the same incident does not repeat itself.
His words were echoed by ombudsman John Walters, who said alternative ways to stop the taxi driver – such as chasing after him or asking other nearby colleagues to go after him – could have been used.
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