‘The Inambao Show’: When Cross-Examiners Meet Their Match

“The charges make sense. It is your question that does not make sense.”

That was Mr Oberty Inambao speaking in the witness box. He had the energy of a man who has heard every question in the book and is no longer impressed by any of them.

I am not a lawyer. I have never been cross-examined.The closest I have come to court drama is watching reruns of ‘Boston Legal’ in my pyjamas.

Somehow, this Oberty fellow has become the unexpected hero of the week. Someone even joked online that they are going to name their child ‘Inambao’ as a tribute.

I fully support this idea. I can already imagine little Inambao in Grade 1 refusing to answer silly questions from the teacher. The same calm expression. The same slightly dangerous smile.

Please don’t tell me about the matter being sub judice unless you are willing to point out which law in Namibia says we cannot discuss a matter being streamed live to our devices.

Besides, what is “in the public interest” if the public cannot discuss their interests? Sit down!

Now, back to the matter at hand. Most of us watching the bail hearing are not legal experts. We rely on the live-stream from the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court, what journalists share and what people post on social media.

Yet the daily updates have been enough to keep us hooked. I have always believed that movies based on real life are a little dull.

This one has proven me wrong. The bail hearing has been more entertaining than many scripted shows.

If it were listed on IMDb, I would rate it a solid 6.5 out of 10 for suspense and character development. The actual trial might easily score higher if it keeps this level of drama.

From where we sit, it looked like the defence lawyers expected a smooth session. They seemed ready for a polite and cooperative witness. Instead, they met someone who was polite but completely immovable.

Oberty was not going to be rushed. He was not going to be rattled. If the question was off target, the answer was going to follow its own route. That route might not take the lawyers where they wanted to go, but it took them somewhere memorable.

The style reminded me of Mr Kanyangela from the Fishrot case. That comparison is not perfect, but the similarity is in the calm confidence. Where Kanyangela might quietly dismantle a question, Inambao prefers to push it back with a little more force.

It is less of a chess move and more of a judo throw. The energy says: “If you bring the fight, be ready for what comes back.”

At one point, a legal head was quoted as saying that the way Inambao answers could harm the state’s case. I am not able to say whether that is true. I am not here to argue the legal merits.

My focus is on what the public can see, which is a man holding his own under pressure. From a viewer’s point of view, the pattern of his responses is fascinating. There is a rhythm to it. A pause. Then an answer that is calm on the surface but carries weight. It keeps you thinking about it after the moment has passed.

A big part of the charm is in the delivery. He does not fluster. He does not raise his voice. Every reply is measured. There is the occasional expression that seems to say, “next question”, without a single word added. The lawyers keep pushing, but he remains steady. It is like watching someone sit through a storm while sipping tea.

I am not here to declare who is right or wrong in this legal match. That is for the court to decide. What I can say is that Oberty Inambao has become a surprising source of entertainment for the public.

It is an unexpected twist in a serious process. If this continues, I would not be surprised to see his name on coffee mugs and T-shirts.

Maybe even on a bumper sticker. The name could become shorthand for a certain type of answer.

One that refuses to be rushed. One that gives you what you need to hear instead of what you want to hear.

Somewhere out there, a child named after him might one day sit in a classroom and say to the teacher: “The homework makes sense. It is your question that does not.”

That would be the perfect ending to this whole saga.

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