Intimidation and provocation still rife

Phil ya Nangoloh from the National Societyfor Human Rights writes:
 
VARIOUS acts ranging from hate speech, intimidation, malicious destruction of property and provocation to violence in certain parts of the country have marked the weekend.

Human rights monitors have reported the following incidents, virtually all of them committed in the name and/or in the defense of the ruling Swapo party. Human rights defenders witnessed some of these acts and have reported as follows:

Mix Camp
 
On Saturday 31 October 2009 approximately between 15:00 and 15:30, a group of five Swapo party activists attempted to lay siege to two of a group of 30 RDP house-tohouse campaigners at the Mix squatter camp, some 20 kilometers north of Windhoek.

In an apparent attempt to block the passage of an RDP houseto- house party, Swapo party activists placed an old tyre in the road (see pictures at www. nshr.org.na). Even after the highly tolerant RDP campaigners left the impoverished squatter camp, the Swapo party provokers chased after them for about six kilometers up to Okahandja Park informal settlement.

They were travelling in a Toyota Conquest with registration number N 35608 W. The Swapo party provokers only ran away after RDP activists, travelling in seven vehicles, threatened “to deal” with them.

One Nation Shitenda
 
Also on 31 October 2009 between 15:45 and 16:45, another group of about 20 to 30 impoverished Swapo party activists, principally women and children, taunted an RDP convoy at the One Nation Shitenda informal settlement, some 10 kilometers north of Windhoek.

The highly provocative Swapo party group, carrying huge Swapo party banners, constantly banged and even spat on the windows and doors of a blackish 4 x 4 Toyota Hilux Surf station wagon, registration number N 47596 W.

The group also ripped off and destroyed RDP campaign materials includingposters and some smaller flags. One Swapo party activist, dressed in a white T-shirt with a flag in front, smashed the rear left hand side window of the aforementioned RDP Toyota Hilux Surf vehicle.

A case (i.e. CR 983/10/09) of malicious damage to property has been laid at Windhoek’s Wanaheda police station. The Swapo party supporters constantly provoked the RDP party over a distance of about 1.3 kilometers, from the Mukwanangobe section of the One Nation Shitenda informal settlement, to the Ombili suburb. In the process, the Swapo party group caused serious disruption of traffic along Omuvapu Street.

‘I Hate RDP’
 
Opuwo-based human rights defenders on 1 November 2009 reported that a Swapo party activist who shouted “I hate RDP” smashed the rear and then the left rear windows of a dark-blue Nissan sedan, registration number N 739 OP.

The vehicle belongs to an RDP activist and Opuwo resident Amon Kapi (44). At the time of the incident, the vehicle sported two big campaign posters featuring RDP Presidential candidate Hidipo Hamutenya (HH).

The suspect, who has been identified as Pineas Shipiki Ekandjo (age unknown), is said to hail either from the Outapi or Ongwediva towns, in the Omusati and Oshana regions, respectively. Ekandjo was immediately arrested by citizens but was handed over to members of the Opuwo police soon thereafter.

The incident occurred next to the local branch of the First National Bank and adjacent to the OK supermarket in Opuwo town, which is capital of the Kunene region. A case (CR 04/11/09) of malicious damage to private property has been registered at the Opuwo police station.

Okongo settlement
 
On 1 November 2009 yet another group of between 30 to 50 boisterous Swapo party supporters carrying various items in blue-red-green colours attempted to disrupt an RDP rally held at the Okongo settlement, some 110 kilometers east of the town of Eenhana. The town is the regional capital of the Ohangwena region.

However, the tentative disruption of the RDP rally failed after members of the Namibian police at Okongo intervened, human rights monitors said. Also at Okongo, human rights monitors reported that a man was arrested by the police after being spotted with a firearm a few meters from HH. The unidentified male was immediately whisked away by the police.