Africa-Press – Namibia. Zambezi police spokesperson Kisco Sitali yesterday clarified that no suspects have been arrested in connection with either of the two break-ins at the Katima Mulilo Town Council offices or the recent fire that gutted the registry office.
He said the police currently have no evidence to suggest the incidents were inside jobs and urged the public and town council management to come forward with any credible information that could help the investigations.
His remarks follow reports that police have confirmed both break-ins and the fire incidents are inside jobs. “We are busy with investigations. Whoever has information, whether from the town council management or the public, should bring it to the police,” Sitali said.
“The Namibian Police does not have information indicating this is an inside job. We really appeal to members of the public and management to come forth with any information in these incidents.”
The town woke up to unease once again after a daring late-night break-in rattled the town council offices in the early hours of last Saturday.
By sunrise, management officials had already converged on the scene, moving from office to office as they assessed the damage and coordinated next steps.
The council spokesperson, Chrispin Muyoba, described how intruders infiltrated the premises under cover of darkness, breaking through the roof, cutting open the ceiling, and dropping directly into the valuation office. Inside, they left behind a smashed laptop, a missing computer modem, and equipment strewn about. In a small stroke of luck, a feared-missing hard drive was later recovered.
The criminals proceeded to the cash hall, but early assessments suggest that the aim was not a sophisticated attempt to steal money. “No cash is missing. What we are seeing at this stage is mostly damage to office information and equipment,” Muyoba said.
The incident has once again exposed glaring weaknesses in the council’s security system. After more than three years with the same security provider, Oxygen Security, the council acted swiftly. By Saturday evening, Namibia Protection Services had officially taken over guard duties. Sources close to the matter indicated that Oxygen Security had no formal contract with the council, leading to their immediate removal.
The break-in occurred at a tense moment for the town. Just days earlier, Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa sparked controversy during a community meeting when he claimed that the recent fire at the council’s registry office was an inside job, supposedly meant to destroy evidence.
A source within the town council, who preferred anonymity, said internal auditors from the ministry launched a review after the council’s dissolution and uncovered several irregularities.
“That’s why you are seeing the drama at the moment, and lots of suspensions will follow,” the source said.
Sankwasa officially dissolved the council in a notice published in the Government Gazette on 15 August 2025, invoking Section 92(2) of the Local Authorities Act of 1992. All council members were removed from office, with their powers now vested in the minister.
The decision followed months of heightened tension over alleged governance failures, illegal land-for-goods exchanges, ignored directives and unresolved labour disputes. This latest break-in is the second incident using the same method. The first took place at the end of September, followed by the mysterious October fire in the Town Planning Department.
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