Reports of deaths in detention, killings and assaults involving the South African armed forces, and general harassment of the population in the north have continued to emanate from church sources, politicians and inquests.
The evidence confirms the view expressed by an Anglican church delegation following its visit to Namibia in 1983. The six-member delegation, which included church representatives from Britain, the United States and Japan, concluded in its report published in March 1984 that 'the curfew operation in the north, the undoubtedly intimidation, the restriction of movement, the spreading of distrust through informers, the divisions in family life, the cases of abduction, torture and beatings, the total massive armed presence of the SADF, cause the community to live in a state of perpetual fear and repression'.
Several cases of assault and killings by the South African armed forces were made public by Hans Röhr, leader of the Namibia Christian Democratic Party, at a press conference in Windhoek in late February. A Tsumeb miner, Josef WILLIBALD, was assaulted by camouflaged police while on his way to the Tsumeb Corporation's mining smelter on 14 October 1983. He was knocked down and loaded into a police van. A motorist later found him beaten 'to a pulp' next to the road and took him to hospital, where he died on 2 November.
Röhr also reported the death of Mr. MANDJARO from the village of Katara, after being beaten by soldiers until he was unconscious. He died after being taken to a mission hospital at Tandarra. The incident occurred in mid-February 1984.
Another civilian, Jacob NIKANOR, was reported to have been shot dead after being beaten by Koevoet. According to his family, Nikanor was asked for his identity card by a Koevoet patrol, who refused to accept that it was his and assaulted him. The same night, he was gunned down by machine-gun fire on his way home.
