Cops accused of shooting San harvester

A group of Barakwena San in the western part of the Zambezi Region is planning to lay a charge of attempted murder against an anti-poaching unit of the Namibian police or the special field force that opened fire on them while they were on a harvesting expedition for devil’s claw.
One of the eight harvesters, John Johannes, a resident of the Bwabwata Chetto compound was shot in both his legs and is at the Andara State Hospital.
The group, which has a permit from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and authorisation from the community conservation group to harvest for devil’s claw in the Bwabwata National Park, were camping in the bush in the vicinity of Chetto on the day of the shooting.
A representative of the Barakwena people, John Mundai Sililo, said the group had set up a tent and made a fire for cooking when the police arrived and started shooting at them without warning.
This claim was echoed by community activist David Mushavanga of the Kwe San who is also serving on the board of the Namibia San Council.
Mushavanga said about 20 shots were indiscriminately fired at the group “like in a war” with automatic rifles.
He also said the police fired without a warning shot at the group of three men, five women and a baby. Mushavanga said the baby throughout this ordeal was sitting in the midst of the shots that rained on the group. He said the special field forces themselves went to pick up the baby and held the men at gunpoint.
The police had transported Johannes in a police van to the Andara hospital.
“The community now fears for their fundamental human rights and seeks legal assistance on this matter,” Mushavanga said.
He said the group of harvesters had gone out to camp on Friday, 1 July. He said they discovered unknown footprints and gave a report to the conservation office through the clinic telephone number at Chetto.
On the second day (Sunday, 2 July) they waited for a response but nothing happened until sunset. He said special field forces “unknowingly” arrived at the harvesters’ camp at around 08:00 the next morning and from about 20 to 30 metres started to shoot at the hapless group.
“What confuses the harvesters and the community at large is the shooting at human beings during the season of devil’s claw,” said Mushavanga.


Sililo said the harvesters usually inform local police and village councillors before going into the bush and that the anti-poaching unit therefore should have used this local knowledge of who they were likely to find in the bush while searching for poachers.
“The police patrolled without information from the headman or villagers. They followed the harvesters’ footprints and mistook them for poachers but the police should know the procedures when using firearms. They should not have just opened fire. Why did they injure innocent people?” Sililo said.
Sililo blames the Kongola councillor, David Muluti, for not having informed the local police station at Kongola about the incident and charged that Muluti “does not care for the Barakwena San”.
“The San has voted for him but he is not worried about them. He has a shebeen where these people go and drink every day. He should have reported the matter,” charged Sililo.
Muluti on Friday (8 July) said he is not aware of the incident and denied that he owns a shebeen saying he only has a guesthouse.
Sililo refuted this claim, saying that Muluti not only lies about the shebeen but also ignorance of the incident since he, as councillor, should be in touch with the village development committee who was informed thereof.
The case has since been reported to the Kongola police station and a full police report will be available today.

Catherine Sasman