SHORT: State must pay man N$15 000

The Windhoek High Court on Friday ordered the state to pay a man from the Babylon informal settlement N$15 000 after he was illegally arrested and detained. Kalimbwe Kalimbwe was arrested on 16 November 2022 and taken to the Otjomuise police station where he spent the night on charges of assault. He was released on bail the following day and during his next court appearance on January 25, 2023, the charges against him were dropped.

He dragged the Inspector General of the Namibian Police and the ministry of home affairs to court in July 2023 for wrongful and illegal arrest and detention.

Although he initially demanded N$400,000 in damages, Judge Hannelie Prinsloo ruled that the respondents must pay him N$15 000. She also ordered that the respondents should pay Kalimbwe's legal costs for the lawsuit. - KRISTIEN KRUGER