Lieutenant General Josef Shikongo has said the 'quick' action by the Special Reserve Force during a court-ordered eviction at the Dâure Daman Traditional Authority office in |Uis could have been handled differently.

Shikongo stated that the authority could have explored alternative ways to resolve the matter instead of calling the Special Reserve Force.

"But remember that when people are on the ground, the purpose of the Special Reserve Force is as a last resort. Therefore, in the situation in Uis, I should indicate that perhaps we acted too quickly with the SRF, which is intended for when the situation gets out of hand. That situation could have been managed by the regular police. Other means could have been used."

He noted that the matter has been addressed and that he has raised the issue with the police commander in the Erongo Region.

"What happened afterward? There was a large meeting with community members and the chief present, but unfortunately, the chief walked out, leaving his subjects. Now, if the chief walks out, do you want the police to come in and remove these people? No! Engagement is very important; this issue requires different levels of engagement, either with the line minister to address the situation."

At the start of the year, members of the Dâure Daman community, including senior citizens, were forcibly removed by the Special Reserve Force.

The group had staged a sit-in at the Traditional Authority office, demanding the resignation of Chief Sagaria Seibeb.

The removal of the protestors resulted in the arrest of community activist Jimmy ||Areseb, who has since been granted bail.