A mediation hearing in the case of Usakos tour guide Marvin ||Areseb, who is suing the Namibian Police Force and three officers for alleged assault, will not proceed as scheduled.

The matter had been set down for mediation for today. 

Court documents show that ||Areseb is currently admitted at Katutura State Hospital and is expected to undergo another colostomy surgery. His legal representative, Karel !Gaeb, informed the court that his client is medically unfit to attend the session.

!Gaeb has proposed that the mediation be cancelled, with the case proceeding to the next legal steps. The document states that settlement discussions could still take place between the parties outside of formal mediation.

In response, the Namibian Police Force has already indicated its own position on a possible settlement.

NamPol previously proposed that settlement talks be set aside while they pursue a special plea for non-joinder.

NamPol is seeking to have members of ||Areseb’s family join the proceedings. In its response, the police claim that ||Areseb was assaulted by relatives before officers arrived at the scene.

||Areseb, however, argues that he was assaulted by all three police officers while in handcuffs.

Officers Jonas Flai, Raphael Kaundu and Willem Jantze were arrested after the alleged assault; they have since been granted bail. The police in the Erongo Region declined to comment on whether any internal investigations or disciplinary actions have been launched against the officers.

Emil Xamro Seibeb