Ex-cop fails to overturn ‘poaching’ dismissal

A former Namibian Police inspector charged with conspiracy to commit rhino poaching has failed in his challenge against a decision that he is unfit to serve on the force.Wersimus Haipa approached the Windhoek High Court and argued that his dismissal was "illegal" and "unfair". He demanded that he be reinstated and that the safety and security ministry compensate him for the salaries he would have received had he not been fired.Haipa was a member of the Namibian Police for 26 years before he was fired in September 2021 based on criminal charges against him.Judge Eileen Rakow dismissed the application last Friday and ordered that the case be struck from the roll.ConspiracyAccording to the court ruling, Haipa was arrested in January 2020 and charged for violating the laws on firearms and ammunition as he was apparently caught with a firearm without a licence.He was also charged with conspiracy to poach protected wildlife. Although Haipa was not at the crime scene, he reportedly conspired with the perpetrators to commit the crime.At the time, he was employed with the police&#039;s protected resources division in the Oshana Region.FiredAfterwards, Sebastian Ndeitunga - at the time the inspector-general of the police - convened a meeting to decide on Haipa&#039;s suitability to serve as a police officer. Based on the seriousness of the allegations against him, it was decided that he may no longer serve in the police.In July 2022, Haipa appealed to safety and security minister Albert Kawana, but his appeal was dismissed.During his court case, Haipa challenged Kawana’s decision and argued that he had not thought the matter through."Given the weak content of the police dossier and the absence of any good evidence linking [Haipa] to the crime, it is clear that the respondents did not consider the application thoroughly," he argued.According to Rakow’s ruling, the minister and police acted fairly and reasonably, and Haipa failed to bring sufficient evidence before the court for their actions and decisions to be set aside.Haipa was further ordered to pay the legal costs for the application.– kristien@nmh-hub.com.na

Ex-cop fails to overturn ‘poaching’ dismissal

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-17

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Ex-cop fails to overturn ‘poaching’ dismissal

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-17

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