ABOUT 15 hours after Oshakati police officers fired rubber bullets and allegedly assaulted striking U-Save and Shoprite workers and Affirmative Repositioning activists, Oshana regional police commander, commissioner Rauha Amwele, is still clueless about the incident.
She said this morning that she does not why the police shot at people and assaulted them.
The incident took place at the Yetu Shopping Centre at around 18h00.
“I don’t know. I am still waiting for the full report. I don’t have it now, but I am waiting for a briefing from those who were present and witnessed the whole incident,” she told The Namibian this morning.
Affirmative Repositioning activist Paulus Paulus said the confrontation came after he and Dimbulukeni Nauyoma took a letter to the police that permits AR activists to participate in the strike.
The letter is from the Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafau), which represents Shoprite workers.
“When we took the letter to them, they asked us what we were looking for. They said they did not want to talk to us. All of a sudden, about 50 Special Reserve Force members showed up. They didn’t talk to us … they started beating people and shooting them with rubber bullets,” he said.
He said about 30 people, including Shoprite workers and Affirmative Repositioning activists, were injured.
He said some of them are still in hospital and they hope they will be released today.