The High Court of Namibia has delivered a scathing judgment against law enforcement, ordering the police to pay N$100,000 in damages to David Shambo, a meat vendor who was assaulted and unlawfully arrested during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Shambo, who was detained for selling meat to a group of 10 people, suffered a severe knee injury during the incident, necessitating surgery and the insertion of metal pins. Evidence presented in court revealed that he was beaten by multiple police officers before being taken into custody.
In her judgment, Judge Esi Schimming-Chase criticized the officers’ actions as disproportionate and unwarranted. “The actions of the police officers were far from reasonable, and they impermissibly exceeded the boundaries of what is reasonable in the circumstances, given the minimal threat posed by Mr. Shambo to either the police or the members of the public,” she stated.
The case was argued by Shambo’s legal representative, Norman Tjombe, who highlighted the excessive use of force and the violation of his client’s constitutional rights.
This ruling comes in the wake of another judgment last week, where the Windhoek High Court awarded N$50,000 to a resident who was unlawfully arrested and assaulted by members of NamPol and the Namibian Defence Force during the same lockdown period.