State ordered to pay activists over arrests

By Patience Makwele

The High Court has ordered suspended Inspector-General of the Namibian Police Joseph Shikongo and the ministry of home affairs, immigration, safety and security to compensate activists Michael Amushelelo and Dimbulukeni Nauyoma for their arrests, detention, and prosecution following an anti-unemployment protest in 2023.

In a judgment delivered on Wednesday, the court awarded Amushelelo N$300,000 in damages and Nauyoma N$80,000. The government was also ordered to pay their legal costs.

The case stems from the pair’s arrests during a planned protest against unemployment in Windhoek on 21 March 2023, which coincided with Namibia’s Independence Day celebrations.

The demonstration was cancelled by Shikongo, a decision the activists challenged, arguing that their constitutional rights to assemble peacefully and express themselves had been violated.