Windhoek
Startling new evidence has come to light that could prove that the bullet that killed ‘struggle kid’ Frieda Ndatipo was not fired randomly.
Video footage from One Africa television shows a police officer firing a shot horizontally in the direction of the fleeing Children of the Liberation Struggle (CLS) during the fracas that ensued at the Swapo Head Office on August 27 last year.
The officer, Jonas Natangwe Shimbili, however vehemently denied that he shot in the direction of the struggle kids, but maintained that he fired a shot into a sand heap to scare off the stone-throwing crowd.
Ndatipo was killed almost instantly on that fateful day when a group of struggle kids blocked the entrance to the Swapo HQ. A scuffle between the police and protesters ensued when law enforcement officers tried to remove them from the scene.
An analysis of the video by retired Deputy General Prosecutor Danie Small indicates that Shimbili fired two shots in quick succession into the ground near his feet and another half-horizontally in a westerly direction where the protesters were. Local lawyers are all in agreement that if it is proven beyond reasonable doubt that Shimbili fired the shot that killed Ndatipo, the officer could face serious charges.
According to Shimbili, he was summoned to the scene of the incident on that fateful day together with other members of his unit and when they arrived there, the struggle kids were unruly and swore at them.
He said that while he was attempting to move them from the gate of the Swapo HQ, he was hit in the face between the upper lip and nose with a stone. The injury caused him so much pain that he closed his eyes as the tears temporarily blinded him. When he regained his sight after 30 or 40 seconds he chased after the fleeing CLS and in the process cocked his gun.
He steadfastly repeated over and over again that he only fired one shot – into the heap of sand – and said as proof of this that he booked out 15 rounds that day and returned 14.
Even though ballistic evidence shows that three spent cartridges were fired from his gun, he denied it and said he only fired one shot.
Local lawyer Norman Tjombe had a field day with Shimbili. He prodded the officer each and every way, but Shimbili was adamant that he only fired into the sand heap. Tjombe asked the officer whether he saw that there was building-rubble lying around in the vicinity of the incident, but the officer was at pains to explain that where he stood there was no building rubble. When Tjombe wanted to know from Shimbili whether or not it was possible that the bullet ricocheted off underlying building rubble, the officer was adamant that he would have heard the sound if the bullet had ricocheted.
Shimbili also had no explanation as to why the video showed him firing off two shots, instead of the one he claimed to have fired.
Judge Christi Liebenberg, who is presiding over the inquest into Ndatipo’s death, postponed the matter to 09h00 today.
State Advocate Dominic Lusilo represents the State and the family of the late Ndatipo is represented by Loini Shikale-Ambondo together with Orben Sibeya.