Namibians bordering Etosha National Park say it is just a matter of time before they resort to vigilante tactics to defend themselves against the police.
According to villagers at Otjenova, the Namibian Police Force's anti-poaching unit officers in the Etosha National Park have terrorised them under the pretext of anti-poaching in their search for alleged perpetrators.
The community claims the officers at times torture and harass young boys and cattle herders who use horses, so as to coerce them into revealing information about suspected poaching syndicates in the area.
They further claim the officers even ransacked their homes as they carried out their duties.
Otjenova village is situated a few kilometres from Etosha National Park in the Omusati region.
The village is dominated by indigenous people, such as the San, Ovatue and Ovatjimba.
Narrating their ordeal to New Era this week was Leevi Tjijahura, a resident who said members of the anti-poaching group have been assaulting and beating them to give information on poaching activities and suspects in the area for the past eight years.
"In our area, farmers look after their cattle after being beaten by police officers. If they find them looking after their cattle or if they find horses in kraals, they beat them, demanding to know what they are using the horses for," Tjijahura narrated.
Cattle headers and young boys, especially those who use horses to reach the grazing area near the park and whose livestock use aquifers along the park, frequently fall prey to the hands of the anti-poaching officers, he said.
"They are arresting any boy they see or beating them to give them information regarding poaching. If a woman is found in possession of money, even if it's just N$1 000, she must explain where she got the money from, as the police suspect them of being in an intimate relationship with poachers. One pregnant woman lost the pregnancy," he said.
He added: "Anti-poaching members are further accused of breaking into people's houses even in the absence of the owners. They are also accused of covering people with plastic over their heads, which makes it difficult for them to breathe and remove it when they see the person is about to die, while farmers' guns are being collected even if they have a license".
Among the incidents that angered the community was the physical assault of a goat herder and his siblings, which resulted in one being hospitalised for a few months.
Chronicling the ordeal, Tjijahura said a commotion erupted when the police officer brutally started beating teenage boys at the Cuca shops for suspecting them of being poachers.
Consequently, two of the community members were brutally assaulted and ended up in the hospital.
Some of the village boys have been reportedly locked up in Okahao jail and denied bail, he said.
Responding to the allegations, Omusati police commander and commissioner Ismael Basson confirmed the incident, stating that they are investigating two cases that were opened at Okahao police station.
"The Namibian police in the Omusati region are currently investigating the two cases of assault in that regard. Much of the work on the cases has been done, and we are encouraging those with similar cases to report them to the police," he said.
The police commissioner said they have launched community information-sharing sessions to educate community members about their rights and the importance of opening cases for the police to investigate and for justice to take its course.
"If the petition is not submitted or shared with the police, nor are cases reported, then the allegations have not reached the police yet. The victims are encouraged to make formal complaints at their nearest police station for the allegations to be investigated," Basson said.
He added that they warned community members to desist from trespassing or entering Etosha National Park without the authority's permission.
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Meanwhile, the anti-poaching unit commander assigned to Etosha National Park, commissioner Teopoline Kalompo-Nashikaku, condemned any form of power abuse or heavy-handedness by members of her unit, "stating that it shouldn't be entertained at any level".
"Namibian police are a professional entity, guided by the rule of law, and we do not have that authority to beat up or assault members of the public. In fact, we are deployed in society to protect them from harm and to partner with them in the fight against crimes such as poaching. Also, the constitution of Namibia does give us that mandate to harm or kill people," she said.
She added there is a professional way of sourcing information from members of the community, "which is not by beating them or using any form of force, and any police officer found doing that will face the law".
She urged the anti-poaching unit members to desist from abusive conduct and instead work together with community members to curb poaching in the country.
