Police denies Okondjatu shooting cover-up

Patience Makwele The Namibian Police Force (Nampol) has denied allegations of a cover-up in a recent shooting incident at Okondjatu settlement in the Otjozondjupa region. The debate intensified over the weekend after social justice activist Michael Amushelelo alleged that police attempted to conceal details surrounding the shooting incident earlier this month. In response, Nampol spokesperson deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi rejected the allegations and insisted the force remains committed to “fairness, transparency and professionalism”.

According to Shikwambi, officers responding to a violent incident on 4 May allegedly came under attack from a suspect armed with a machete before officers shot and injured him in what police described as self-defence. The Okondjatu incident, together with two other recent police shooting cases in Otjiwarongo and Walvis Bay, has renewed public debate around the use of force by police officers and whether the public can trust internal police investigations. Political analyst and commentator Joubert Harushando said public scepticism toward police accounts often develops from years of frustration and perceptions that accountability is inconsistent.

“When communities repeatedly hear about police shootings but rarely see the outcomes of investigations, suspicion naturally grows,” Harushando said. “People begin to feel the need for institutions to protect themselves first before protecting the public.