Police manhandle four innocent foreigners mistaken for thieves

THREE Zambians and an Angolan national escaped with minor bruises on Tuesday after they were dragged from their car, pinned to the ground and kicked before being arrested by close to 10 AK 47-toting members of the Namibian Police’s feared Task Force unit.

The Hollywood movie-type action occurred at around 14h30 just as the four visitors’ South African-registered Toyota Corolla stopped at a traffic light on the intersection of Davey and John Meinert streets, next to The Namibian’s office in Windhoek. Perplexed staff of The Namibian and other onlookers stood in awe as they witnessed the swift incident which resulted in a five-minute traffic jam on the busy road.Soon after the officers whisked the four foreigners away.About 30 minutes later, the shocked group came to The Namibian’s office to relate their ordeal after being released.We just saw them [the Police] jumping out of their vehicle and pointing guns at us.They pulled us and started kicking us without saying anything, said the group’s spokesperson, Mike Mwenya, who was still trembling.This is really shocking experience.I never before encountered anything like this in any country.Mwenya said they were taken to the Windhoek Police Station where their travelling documents were checked and found to be in order before they were set free.They only thing they told us after this humiliating treatment was that they received wrong information about the colour of our car, Mwenya stated.The group did not lay a charge with the Police, but said they were planning to approach their High Commissions to lodge a formal complaint with the Namibian Government.Contacted for comment about the incident, Police spokesperson Chief Inspector Angula Amulungu said he was not aware of the incident.”If they [the victims] had laid a charge with the Police there would be a CR-number, but now it’s hard to find out.”The group, which arrived in Namibia on Monday evening from South Africa, was in transit to Zambia.Perplexed staff of The Namibian and other onlookers stood in awe as they witnessed the swift incident which resulted in a five-minute traffic jam on the busy road.Soon after the officers whisked the four foreigners away.About 30 minutes later, the shocked group came to The Namibian’s office to relate their ordeal after being released.We just saw them [the Police] jumping out of their vehicle and pointing guns at us.They pulled us and started kicking us without saying anything, said the group’s spokesperson, Mike Mwenya, who was still trembling.This is really shocking experience.I never before encountered anything like this in any country.Mwenya said they were taken to the Windhoek Police Station where their travelling documents were checked and found to be in order before they were set free.They only thing they told us after this humiliating treatment was that they received wrong information about the colour of our car, Mwenya stated.The group did not lay a charge with the Police, but said they were planning to approach their High Commissions to lodge a formal complaint with the Namibian Government.Contacted for comment about the incident, Police spokesperson Chief Inspector Angula Amulungu said he was not aware of the incident.”If they [the victims] had laid a charge with the Police there would be a CR-number, but now it’s hard to find out.”The group, which arrived in Namibia on Monday evening from South Africa, was in transit to Zambia.