Ongwediva
The Affirmative Repositioning (AR) group is threatening to sue Oshikoto regional police commander Commissioner Anne-Marie Nainda, the Namibian police and the Ministry of Safety and Security over damages allegedly incurred by the group of activists during at Tsumeb on Saturday, following a reported confrontation.
AR co-founder, Job Amupanda, said the claim would not only be based on the funds paid by them to host the event, but also the inconvenience and damages suffered by all activists that came to Tsumeb for the scheduled activist forum, including the costs incurred by the AR organisers.
Young activists converged in Tsumeb over the weeken to discuss the AR programme, to hear reports on developments in other towns and cities across Namibia and to chart the way forward.
The event was supposed to take place at The Old Theatre, but was cancelled at the eleventh hour, with the owners of the venue reportedly saying they received orders from the police not to allow such event to take place. The meeting was then moved to an alternative venue at the town.
“This is the only way the regional commander will learn to respect the youth,” Amupanda said. He insisted the commander in question would pay the damages they allegedly incurred as everything had been paid for in advance.
“As atute activists we had made booking and arrangements for the forum, a private affair, in advance. We have already paid for the venue – Old Theatre was thus booked and confirmed,” he said.
He claimed that as soon as they publicly announced the venue the said people started running up and down to sabotage the activists’ forum. Amupanda further claimed that Nainda sent a large contingent (what he called “a mob”) of police officers to the venue to intimidate those running The Old Theatre to cancel the meeting.
The outspoken activist said their lawyer has already engaged the top leadership of the police about the consequences of the regional commander’s actions.
Contacted for comment the regional commander said the allegations bandied about by the AR leaders are devoid of any truth.