Only an estimated ten to twenty per cent of all violent incidents against civilians, involving the South African armed forces in the north of Namibia, were reported in the media, a Namibian lawyer told an international conference. Anton Lubowski, speaking at a conference held in London in September 1984, said that there were no lawyers based in the north, and many of the victims of assault by the armed forces were too frightened to report incidents to the authorities (Namibia 1884-1984, 100 Years of Foreign Occupation, 100 Years of Struggle, Conference organsied by Namibia Support Committee in Co-operation with SWAPO Department of Information and Publicity, London, 10-13 September 1984).
Evidence of a number of killings, abductions, and other army brutalities against civilians in the northern war zones was revealed during a press conference called by Hans Rohr, leader of the Namibia Christian Democratic Party, in late August. Rohr stressed that he was 'totally satisfied' that the details he had presented were true, and countered criticism from army officials by challenging those who did not believe his claims to take him to court (Star 3.9.84).
Rohr described the massacre of four members of a family at Gawa, a village some 50 km south of Nkurenkuru in western Kavango, by a group of South African troops. The soldiers gunned down Barbara KAZIKU, her son Rafael GERHARD, a Catholic lay preacher, his three year old son and an eight year old boy. Gerhard's wife, Floria Camillus, his 12-year old daughter and his baby son were badly wounded as they fled from the scene. After the killings the residence and the bodies were set alight to destroy the evidence, Rohr told reporters.
Describing the assault, one of the survivors, Floria Camillus, said the family were asleep when she heard knocks at the door. She was afraid to get up because of the curfew. Flares were thrown and shooting began. 'They shot into the house with machine guns, bullets knocked down the door... I was shot in the leg, again in my ankle. The huts were all burning. I grabbed my child. I saw nothing more, I just ran, I fell, I ran, I heard screams of people burning' (RDM 29.8.84).
The massacre took place on the night of 15 August. Rohr said he believed that South African radio had reported that the attack had been carried out by 'SWAPO terrorists'.
A group of men wearing SWAPO uniforms, who had allegedly abducted Johannes MUKUVE on 12 July, were identified by the people from his village as South African soldiers. The villagers noticed that the men were wearing South African army boots, Rohr said. They followed the men's spoons which led to an SADF troop carrier. They witnessed how Mukuve was forced to walk in front of the vehicle and then forced to climb into it. He had not been released by the end of August.
In another incident reported by Rohr, Petrus HAUSIKU was abducted by members of the armed forces on 20 July, and had not been seen since. His nephew, Aloes KATAMBA, who ran to investigate the shots fired by soldiers at Hausiku's horse, was summarily shot by the armed forces. He was an unarmed civilian.
In addition to the killings and abductions of civilians, members of the army had shot dead about 20 cattle in areas around Nkurenkuru, Rohr said. He pointed out that cattle was the only wealth of the people in the area (CT 28.8.84; T 28.8.84).
The SWA Territory Force confirmed reports that troops had killed two children, Abraham HALALIKI and Nashipe ANDREAS, and seriously wounded two other children during what a spokesman described as a 'routine fire' pattern exercise' in August. The SWATF spokesman claimed that mortar bombing by the army of a residence near Ogongo in Ovamboland had been an 'accident', and that a police and military inquiry had been launched (CT 28.8.84).
HOSPITAL SABOTAGE SADF attempts to smear SWAPO by accusing the liberation movement of attacking civilians were exposed during a Lutheran World Federation conference in the Hungarian capital Budapest in July 1984. Delegates at the conference were told how South African soldiers had planted an explosive device in the grounds of a hospital. The device was later removed by police.
In a statement issued on 26 July, the executive committee at the Onandjokwu Lutheran Hospital described how six South African soldiers had arrived at the hospital and demanded to search the entire premises to see all the patients and obtain the names of all the people working in the hospital. While some of the soldiers carried out these activities, others remained in the grounds.
An outpatient who witnessed one soldier digging a hole in the ground and burying an object close to the maternity ward alerted the hospital administration. Police who were called to remove the object described it as dangerous.
A Finnish doctor working at the hospital rejected allegations made by the chief of the SWATF that the device was buried by hospital staff or SWAPO. She stressed that 'we are quite convinced the South African soldiers planted it' (Statement by Onandjokwe Lutheran Hospital 26.7.84; CT 3.8.84; WO 4.8.84).
