- NO DETAINEE RECORDS SAYS POLICE WITNESS Shock revelations in court ------ BY CHRIS SHIPANGA STARTLING EVIDENCE of a failure on the part of police to keep records of detainees, including registers of those held and medical treatment given to them, was heard by the Windhoek Supreme Court this week. The court also heard of assault, torture and of making de­ tainees "smoke a certain stuff ' making them feel lightheaded". In a case involving eight N amibians charged with the alleged con­ travention of sections of the Terrorism Act, the court heard various accusations levelled against security force members in their efforts to extract information from detainees, Giving evidence in what has now fighters were released; but was developed into a trial within a trial, "positiv:e that it was the. case". under cross-examination, Captain Although the Captain denied that Frans Frederich Ballach from the dead Swapo fighters, and those who Police Counter Insurgency Unit died during detention were buried (Koevoet), Oshakati, conceded to Mr secretly, he conceded that no inquests Justice Harald Levy that neither did were c:arried out on their deaths, as his unit nor the SADF keep any no one would have any details on records whatsoever of detainees them since "we simply do not keep under their control. any records". THE SCARRED back of Andreas J ohny Heita, right, with the man Captain Ballach told the court that Captain Ballach also denied to . alleged to be responsible for the ass.ault, Captain Ballach, left. the aim of Koevoet was "to track Defence Counsel Mr Brian O'Linn down Swapo terrorists and to exter­ that the practice of not keeping any 'which detainees Erastus Uutoni, _. hung upside down by their legs; forc­ tainee was thirsty, water was poured minate them". records was solely for the purpose of Desiderius Ankome and Norbert ed to remain in standing positions for out over his body). The court also Asked about captured Swapo' disguising their actions, and. also to . Ankome alleged that they were long periods while carrying bricks; heard that.detainee Norbert Ankome fighters, the captain claimed that complicate matters for the courts: assaulted by the Captain. and "food and water torture"(the aim was forced to "smoke certain stuff they were kept in approved The court further heard that Cap­ of the latter was to refuse a detainee which made him feel lightheaded" rehabilitation centres and later tain Ballach was notorious for brutal According to evidence before court, . food for up to three days, and then (Presumably a reference to dagga). released depending on their degree assaults and torture on detainees, detainees were given electric shocks '. provide food but take it away as soon of rehabilitation. He could, however, and the case of the State versus on their private parts while vulgar as they wanted to eat. When a de- Continued on page 5 not remember any cases were such Angula and others was cited, in language was used against them; Death 'parade' eonfir:med BY MARK VERBAAN When approached with a report of A POLICE Public Relations Officer in Windhoek, Inspector the incident before the photograph was published, Police Liaison Officer, In­ Kierie du Rand, has confirined that a Casspir carrying the spector Wally Bredenhann, denied bodies of alleged insurgents was in the Ondobe area on knowledge of the "parade of cor.pses" December 29 last year. and was quoted as saying "The report This confirmation of the incident red inside the Casspir, he said there about dead terrorists pn Casspirs is not follows in the wake of denials by both had not been "enough room". true". the police and army, who disclaimed "A Casspir can only take twelve peo­ A Territory Force spokesman liability for the parading of corpses by ple. There was not enough place for the similarly denied that the incident had the security forces at Ondobe near . bodies because the vehicle was full of taken place, and was quoted as saying Oshikango late last.year. soldiers, boxes of ammunition and "We have repeatedly confirmed that Inspector Du Rand yesterday admit­ rifles;' he said. we do not indulge in such inhuman ac­ ted that "they were in the vicinity on' On January 16, The Namibian tions. If anyone did such a thing he that day". He added that the Casspir published a front-page photograph of would be prosecuted". in question had "picked up" the cor­ a Casspir with a body lashed to the The Namibian had initially ap­ pses and was "taking . them to spare wheel on the side of the vehicle. proached both the army and police in Oshakati" when h had been A second photograph inside the view ofthe fact that theCasspir had no photographed. newspaper showed two more corpses identification marks apart from the When Inspector Du Rand was asked tied to the front bumper of the same words, "Wolf Turbo 4". - why the corpses had not been transfer- Casspir. In the past, both The Namibian and the Council of Churches in Namibia have received reports and complaints from residents in northern Namibia'of s~milar incidents concerning the displaying of corpses. These reports were consistently HISTORIC . denied by both the army and police. .TheJanuiuyI6editionofTheNami­ FIND OF bian was banned by the Directorate of Publications last month - a han im­ NAMA posed because .of the "Parade Of RUINS IN Death" story, believes editor Gwen Lister. SOUTH BY A week later the Directorate inform­ ed The Namibian that the ban was to ENGINEER be cancelled in the February 27 edition ofthe Government Gazette. Inside t.oday The Namibian is a member of the Newspaper Press Union, and is therefore not subject to arbitrary ban­ nings by the Directorate of Publications. -~-- -- 2 Friday March 6 1987 THE NAMIBIAN . ( CHIEF DEMANDS Driver detained POLICE Headquarters in Win­ "I decided then to go to Mr dhoek confirmed the detention Kalangula's office to report the mat­ this week of a minibus driver, ter;' he said. .SADF WITHDRAWAL who .had alleged that he was Mr Kalangula's office also confirm­ seriously assaulted and had ed the report. A spokesman from the of­ showed that the tribal offices concern­ his home burnt down by fice, Mr Oswald Shivute, said he con­ BY CHRIS SHIPANGA -----­ ed were situated inside a police com­ ' members of the Police Counter tacted a Lieutenant Nel of Oshakati, TRIBAL CHIEF Josia Shikongo Taapopi of the Uukwaluudhi plex which was vacated last year. Insurgency Unit (Koevoet). and that the latter took Mr Andreas' . "Other people with malicious inten­ statement with him . area, has condemned actions by security force members The driver, Mr Samuel Andreas from Approached for comment, Lieute­ operating in northern Namibia, and demanded the immediate tions wrote slogans on the walls inside the offices in an apparent effort to the Ongali village in northern nant Nel confirmed his "meeting with and complete withdrawal of all these units from Namibia. discredit security forces. Namibia, stated that several Koevoet Shivutetosay hallo;' but added "I did "When the situation was reported to members driving in three Casspirs on not get any statement from him, and Accusing the units this week for the He told The Namibian that some the military commander at Ombalan­ . February 21, 1987, arrived in his I have no comment". recent destruction of his office complex members wrote slogans on the walls in­ tu, (also responsible for Tsandi), troops village to question inhabitants about The policeman requested that the by means of machinegun fire, an irate side, while indecent sketches portray­ were sent out to clear the rubble which the movement of guerrillas. Oshakati-based Operational Officer, ChiefTaapopi said that these were the ing himself and Swapo President, Mr was left by looters. Mr Andreas said they accused him Major Fouche, or a certain Colonel same people who were responsible for Sam Nujoma were drawn. "The rubble removed included a of withholding information, and then Smit, be contacted for comment. the suffering of thousands· of Nami­ Some slogans read: "Swapo se doorpost and window frames, later several men allegedly proceeded to Neither of the two were available for bians in northern Namibia_ dankie baas P.w. Botha - The Nami­ established as belonging to the tribal badly assaulted him. comment. "The fact that I am a chiefin my area bianjulle sa1 k .. - the captain is run authorities, and this was returned. Confirming the allegations in a A defence force spokesman in Wiil­ does not mean that I should align away." "Because it was in the best interests seperate statement, local headman, dhoek confirmed that his office receiv­ myself with them and be a Colonialist. The Ovambo Administration Office ofChiefTaapopi, as well as the securi­ Mr Phillipus Shanjengandje, stated · ed the report, and that the Oshakati I have the true interests of my people at Ondangwa also confIrmed the inci­ ty forces, it was decided to repaint the that severalotherpeople, including his Defence Office sent out troops who in­ at heart. dent and added that security force walls in an effort to erase the slogans son Nangolo and himself, were also vestigated the matter and found that "These units of the security forces members were busy cunducting an from the walls. badly assaulted by the Koevoet men. the allegations were unfounded. are the ones that stand for the con­ "unlawfull survey" in the area. "But no responsibility can however, The headman stated that both his POlice in Windhoek could not con­ tinued colonisation and suffering of A spokesman from the office said be accepted for other damages;' the son and Mr Andreas were taken away firm or deny the allegations, and said Namibians, and therefore they must security forces were "recording people, major concluded.