BDF probe deadline looms

OGONE TLHAGE WINDHOEKNamibian police chief, inspector-general Sebastian Ndeitunga, says the probe into the killing of four fishermen by the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) should be completed by tomorrow, 5 December.He also denied conflicting reports that the investigation had been completed.“The team is still on the ground. They will be back by 5 December,” Ndeitunga said. The report will be handed over to President Hage Geingob once investigations are complete, he added.Brothers Tommy, Martin and Wamunyima Nchindo were shot by BDF on 5 November, while their mother, Alphonsina Mubu, died from shock five days later.The Nchindo brothers’ cousin, Sinvula Muyeme, who is a Zambian national, was also shot and killed in the incident.Chilling reportsChilling reports have emerged about how the men were shot.Pasco Sibuko, a family member who travelled to Kasane in Botswana as part of the repatriation delegation, said five bullets were retrieved from Martin’s body, while Wamunyima, who appeared to have been heavily assaulted as his face was unrecognisable, was shot twice.One bullet hit Wamunyima in the chest next to the heart and the other on his right side, breaking his back.He said while Tommy’s body did not show signs of assault, an x-ray report showed that two bullets struck him - one went through his chest cavity and the other broke his rib.Muyeme was struck by two bullets, which both went through the lower part of his chest cavity close to his heart, Sibuko said.Shoot to killThe BDF claimed the men had been found fishing in a restricted area of the Chobe River. Synonymous with a shoot-to-kill policy, the force has denied wrong-doing, referring to the men as alleged poachers.The Namibian police had sent a team to Kasane to investigate prior to their respective burials on Impalila Island in the Zambezi Region and in neighbouring Zambia.During a meeting with the family of the deceased, Geingob said he was in consultations with his counterpart in Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi, and that there was a commitment to finalise the matter.The president, however, recently spoke out against the actions of the BDF and referred to Botswana’s army as ‘trigger-happy’.

BDF probe deadline looms

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-18

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BDF probe deadline looms

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-18

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