Maria David
THE Inspector-General of the Namibian Police, Lieutenant General Sebastian Ndeitunga and members of the force in the Ohangwena Region have no truth and fairness when dealing with the issues of the borders, especially at Oshikango.
Members of the Onamhinda community expressed their disappointment with the unfair manner in which cases are being dealt with by the police during the burial of the late Lebbeus Wambalili (30), a taxi driver, who was killed by drunk police officers about 500 meters away from his home.
Wambalili’s grandfather Asser Ngesheya, called on General Ndeitunga to start getting closer to the ground and assess the situation at the border rather than just receiving reports.
Ngesheya indicated that starting from the Regional Commander and her team made General Ndeitunga tell lies to the public.
“How can a person run away, while he was just on his way home?” he asked.
Ngesheya stated that the death of his grandson was not easy for the family.
“Since the death of my grandchild, we have been forcing for answers and at times we received bad responses until we emerged victorious in the battle of wanting to see our child’s killer arrested,” he said.
He added that since the community took a stand, they have been receiving threats from members of the police stationed at Oshikango. He said they were threatened of being dealt with harshly and that all focus will be on the Onamhinda people.
Ngesheya then called for the demotion of the Ohangwena Regional Police Commander, Commissioner Elizabeth Sibolile, saying the situation for the community and the police at the border is getting worse day by day.
He insisted that a better leader that would be able to unify the police and the community must be appointed because the community is now living in fear of being killed in the same way as his grandson was.
The senior traditional headman of the Onamhinda district, Jerry Shilunga stated that so far, seven people have lost their lives along the border and that these incidents are reported to him late.
Shilunga promised the Onamhinda community that no stone would be left unturned until justice prevails.
He called on the residents of Onamhinda to report all crimes and abuse of police powers against villagers to him so that he would be able to act fast and accordingly.
Oukwanyama Traditional Authority Queen, Martha Mwadinombo Kristian Nelumbu also sent her message of condolences to the victim’s family.
Approached for comment, Ndeitunga noted that a team of detectives from Windhoek were sent to the Ohangwena Region to investigate the murder and to assess the entire situation along the border with Angola.
“I am currently at the border assessing the situation with the minister,” he added.
When asked about the possibility of the demotion of the regional commander, General Ndeitunga explained that officers are not simply demoted because such actions, without following the proper procedures, would be outside the country’s labour laws.
