24 arrested for blocking camp entrance

24 arrested for blocking camp entrance Twenty-four people armed with knives and pangas were arrested last week for blocking the entrance to the Epupa Camp in the Kunene Region.

According to the police the incident occurred on 23 December at the Epupa Falls in the Epupa Constituency.

The 24 suspects were arrested after blocking the access road to the Epupa camp with rocks and tree branches.

According to the police they are members of the Epupa Conservancy and were demanding their salaries from the camp owner, who allegedly had not paid them for the past six months.

The camp owner could apparently not pay the group their salaries because a letter from the Kapika Traditional Authority had instructed that the payment should not be deposited into the conservancy account until further notice.

The suspects were apparently carrying pangas, knives and sharp sticks.

In another incident on Friday, three suspects were arrested for dealing in prohibited wildlife products during an undercover police operation in Windhoek.

According to the police, the three Namibian men tried to sell a pangolin skin to police officers at the Western Bypass Bridge on Friday at 19:15.

One of the suspects apparently tried to run away and was shot in the leg.

The suspects are Johannes Reinhold, Hamunyela Reinhold and Petrus Iileka.

Also on Friday, at about 10:00, thieves stole items worth N$90 000 at the farm Kitchberg, about 35km outside Gobabis. According to the police the suspects broke into a storeroom at the farm and also took a white Nissan, electronic appliances and two rifles. A suspect was arrested.

At another farm in the Omaheke Region, Farm Snyder, suspects broke open a garage door and stole goods worth N$31 310.

The stolen goods were recovered and Erwin Nowaseb and Jan Rooi, both 28, were arrested.

The Windhoek City Police reported a number of housebreakings over the weekend. They said all these houses were left unguarded when the occupants went on holiday.