WINDHOEK, Namibia – The body of a Zimbabwean taxi driver shot by a soldier in Namibia has been ferried home on the back of an open trailer, mixed with goods.
Fambauone Talent Black’s body was placed in a coffin wrapped in a gunny sack for the 2,000km journey from the Namibian capital Windhoek to his home in Mazowe, Mashonaland Central.
It is an ignominious fate of many Zimbabweans who die in Namibia without funeral policies. Cross-border transporters commonly referred to as ‘omalayitsha’ pack the dead bodies next to goods being transported to Zimbabwe – a cheaper solution for their friends and families who in most cases cannot raise the money needed to hire transport.
Namibian police have arrested the soldier in the shooting, Gerson Nakale, 38, and charged him with murder.
Fambauone, a resident of Katutura suburb in Windhoek, had gone to visit a friend in the Hakahana neighbourhood when he encountered a combined police and army roadblock on his return.
The roadblocks are being mounted around Namibia under ‘Operation Kalahari Desert’ targeting dangerous weapons, including guns.
Friends say Fambauone, who did not drink, turned his taxi around fearing arrest because foreign nationals are not permitted to drive taxis. He was shot by Nakale and died behind the steering of his taxi.
In the wake of the killing, Namibia’s top cop Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga has issued new guidelines for the joint roadblocks.
He said no member of the operation is permitted to use firearms against anyone, and that minimal force is only applicable in isolated cases, particularly when suspects are resisting arrest.
“The police should take a leading role during the operation, unless otherwise directed by the operation commander,” he said.
Friends said Fambauone arrived in Namibia in 2018 looking for a better life. He first tried his luck in construction but things did not work out, and he ventured into the taxi industry. His brother, who is also in Namibia, works as a gardener.
