WINDHOEK– An employee of NGC Transport, Simon Kamberipa, 43, was yesterday handcuffed and allegedly beaten by guards of an armed responses company, after he demanded outstanding wages from his employers.
NGC Transport is situated in Lafrenz Industrial Area in the capital. The company is owned by Daniel Myberg and his wife.
When New Era arrived at the premises yesterday, Kamberipa was still handcuffed. A man who identified himself as Jan Beukes from TH Arm Response Team admitted to handcuffing Kamberipa.
Narrating his story, Kamberipa said he came to ask for his salary since he was not paid.
“I came here around 8 o’clock looking for my boss Daniel Myberg since I was not paid my monthly wages,” he said. He said when he arrive at the office, neither Myberg or his wife were at the office.
“I then called Mrs Myberg on her cellphone who replied that she was on her way,” he said.
“Upon arrival Mrs Myberg said I should wait outside while they calculate my wages,” he said. Kamberipa said after hours of waiting he decided to approach Mrs Myberg for the second time.
“After a long argument Mrs Myberg decided to call the armed response team,” he said.
Quoting remarks allegedly made by Mrs Myberg during her telephone call to the armed response team, Kamberipa said: “Come and remove this “f**king kaffer out of my office.”
She allegedly also said that Kamebripa was being “hardegat”, hence the need for armed response to arrive quickly.
“When the armed response team arrived, they asked me what I wanted and I replied that I just wanted my salary since I was not paid.”
He said when the team arrived they asked him to vacate the building but he refused.
“Beukes started pushing me around before he punch me on the head,” Kamberipa claimed.
“He then punched me on the head with his fists and I fell on the ground. I stood up and ran,” he said.
Beukes denied beating Kamberipa saying that he [Kamberipa] offered himself to be handcuffed.
Beukes said he was called to the premises by the owner of the company to calm the situation.
“When I arrived here I found Kamberipa having an argument with Mrs Myberg, I then asked Kamberipa to leave the building but he insisted that he wanted to be handcuffed and this is why I did so,” he said.
Beukes also accused Kamberipa of hurling racial slurs such as “you whites should go back to South Africa where you came from”.
He said he was also called a ‘baboon’ by Kamberipa.
Myberg locked herself in her office when this journalist interviewed the two men and refused to comment on the altercation.