Police team sent to Lusaka to probe killing of Namibians

THE Namibian Police have sent a team of police officers to Zambia to investigate the killing of seven Namibian men on 5 December 2019.

Head of the Namibian Police inspector general Sebastian Ndeitunga, confirmed this to yesterday.

He said seven police officers and a forensic pathologist left Namibia for Zambia on Sunday and are expected to return before the end of the week.

“The team is going to investigate the shooting and killing of Namibian civilians in Zambia,” he said.

Two weeks ago the Ohangwena police and their Zambian counterparts exhumed the bodies of four Namibian citizens who were killed by police officers in Lusaka two years ago.

According to a relative of the deceased, the bodies were reburied this past weekend in the Ohangwena and Omusati regions.

This follows a request by members of the deceased’s families to have the bodies exhumed for post-mortem purposes.

The post-mortems will determine whether the men were killed in an exchange of fire as the Zambian police claim.

In December 2019, Zambian media reported that seven suspected criminals were killed after the police allegedly received a tip-off from members of the public that they were about to stage a robbery.

reported two weeks ago that the Zambian government has ignored requests by Namibia’s minister of international relations and cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, as well as Ndeitunga to release a post-mortem report on the deaths of the seven Namibians.

This is according to a letter Nandi-Ndaitwah wrote to the Oukwanyama queen, Martha Mwadinomho Klisian Nelumbu, dated 12 October last year.

Nelumbu initially wrote to Nandi-Ndaitwah on 23 July last year, presenting seven letters containing grievances from the family members of the men killed by the Zambian police.

In return, Nandi-Ndaitwah wrote: “Immediately after the unfortunate incident,the Namibian high commission in Lusaka requested the Zambian authorities to provide a post-mortem report, which would determine the cause of death.

“Subsequently, the inspector general of the Namibian Police and myself have written to our respective Zambian counterparts to provide post-mortem reports. To date, the government of the Republic of Zambia has not furnished such reports.

“Kindly rest assured that the government of the Republic of Namibia continues to remain seized with the matter.

“The government empathises with the [families] and is in full agreement with the importance of the post-mortem reports to be released to bring closure to the respective family members.”

The families of the deceased men requested information on how the men were killed.

They believe the victims were shot at close range, but not while attempting to evade arrest by the Zambian police as claimed.

The deceased are Daniel Mbishi (32), Wilson Tetela (39) Haitembu Elifas (40), ElifasNdeshikeya (29), David Mweuxwange (39), Samuel Kambonde (42), and PatrickWaandja (34).