Allexer Namundjembo
Social justice activist Michael Amushelelo has filed an urgent application in the High Court seeking the immediate removal of speed humps installed on the B1 Western Bypass, arguing they are unlawful and pose a public hazard.
The matter is set to be heard before the High Court today, according to a Notice of Motion dated 11 June 2026 and seen by the Windhoek Observer.
Amushelelo is expected to appear in person.
The case lists the minister of works and transport as the first respondent, while the Roads Authority (RA) and Attorney-General are listed as the second and third respondents, respectively.
In the application, Amushelelo requests that the court waive the standard legal procedures and service requirements outlined in the High Court Rules, and instead treat the matter as urgent under Rule 73.
He is asking the court to rule that the installation of the physical speed humps on the B1 Western Bypass near the Northern Industrial Area is illegal, does not comply with the Road Traffic and Transport Act of 1999, and endangers public safety.
The notice further demands that the court order the ministry and RA to remove the speed humps within 24 hours of the court’s ruling and return the road surface to its original, unblocked condition.
Amushelelo is also seeking a court order prohibiting the construction or approval of any future physical speed humps on any national highway or designated freeway in Namibia.
The application further states that the first respondent and any other opposing respondents should be required to pay the legal costs on an attorney-and-own-client scale, in addition to any further or alternative relief the court deems appropriate.
“Take notice further that the accompanying founding affidavit of Michael-Ndali Saddam Amushelelo will be used in support of this application,” the court document states.
The respondents had not filed answering papers at the time of publication.
The installed speed humps have been widely criticised, with Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) Member of Parliament Nelson Kalangula saying he has observed the chaos that has unfolded over the last few days on the roads.
“Just this past weekend, we already saw our first vehicle collisions on the newly erected speed humps along the B1 Western Bypass,” he said while responding to the Windhoek Observer this week.
He had said this is a clear indicator that the current administration’s approach to a very serious problem is reactive and short-sighted.
“The high number of pedestrian fatalities between the Independence Avenue interchange near Katutura Hospital and Lafrenz, as well as on the A1 near Prosperita, is completely unacceptable,” he said.
However, Kalangula also noted that the ministry and RA are treating a national highway like a suburban residential street.
He added that the B1 Western Bypass and the A1 are critical economic arteries.
“They are designed with high-speed, efficient transit of goods and people in mind. Dumping massive, poorly planned speed humps on a 120 km/h international transit corridor does not create driver alertness; it creates massive traffic bottlenecks, severe rear-end collision risks, and inflicts structural damage on the vehicles of our hard-working citizens,” he added.
